A Sandy Winter
by Gage39
Summary: 50 years after Jack's 'birth' he is found by Sandy who takes him in, much to the chagrin of the other Guardians who experience the young boy as an emotional, unstoppable force of Nature.
1. Prologue: Sandy Finds Jack

A Sandy Winter

Prologue: Sandy Finds Jack

It was late. Sandy had just finished his rounds in the small Pennsylvania town of Burgess and was preparing to head back home when he heard it; a small unidentifiable sound. One that sounded as if it were coming from a child but that was impossible; all of the children had fallen asleep. After determining that it was coming from the direction of the lake Sandy headed that way, his innate curiosity getting the better of him. When he finally arrived it was to find the lake frozen completely over which was very unusual seeing as how winter was supposed to have ended a couple of months ago (much to Bunny's dismay as he did nothing but complain about the snow and his eggs). But, what really caught Sandy's attention was the boy sitting in the middle of the lake. His knees were drawn to his chest and he had hidden his face in them, the only thing really visible was his white hair. A brown cloak had been wrapped around him, his bare feet poking out at the bottom. A wooden staff lay on the ground next to him, within easy reach.

Unsure of what to do Sandy hovered in the air for a few minutes before approaching the boy. He reached out and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. The results were instantaneous8u; the boy let out a wild shriek and fell backwards, striking his head on the ice. He lay there for a few seconds then let out a loud groan before attempting to sit up. Immediately Sandy rushed forward to help, not wanting the child to further injure himself then stopped, not wanting to scare the boy any more than he already had.

Cold blue eyes regarded Sandy for a moment as the young boy stood, not looking to be that much taller than Sandy himself! Underneath the cloak a white blouse peeked out while brown pants tied with twine stopped just below his knees. Yet the cold didn't seem to bother him; his skin was pale, almost as if he were coming down with hypothermia. His features were young but his eyes spoke of wisdom beyond his years. "Hi," he said at last, his voice smooth and not cracking as was the case with most boys his age.

Sandy blinked in astonishment; all his thoughts fleeing. The boy could see him? But he was too old! Far too old to be believing in Sandy!

"I'm Jack Frost," the boy continued. "What's your name?"

In response Sandy allowed some of the sand to float around them both, taking many shapes such as unicorns and dolphins.

The blue eyes lit up upon seeing the dolphins. "They're so pretty," he murmured, touching them with one finger then giggling wildly as they turned to ice dolphins and continued swimming. Sandy's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "I'm guessing you're the Sandman, right? Some of the children and their parents talk about you; you bring dreams to the children and make them happy." His voice, so carefree up until now, suddenly turned bitter and the ice dolphins shattered. "Every child except for me," he muttered. Then he continued speaking. "The Moon didn't tell me that there were others like me. Actually, come to think of it, he didn't tell me anything except for my name. I suppose you have to be going now?" his voice was suddenly hopeful and his eyes grew wide with longing.

Sandy hesitated. What he was about to propose was risky and had never been done before. He would certainly be hearing about it from the others for centuries. Oh well. Everyone had to make sacrifices, he supposed. He created a smaller version of himself flying off into the distance, a tiny Jack Frost beside him.

"You want me to go home with you?" Jack's voice was low, as if he couldn't bring himself to believe it.

Sandy nodded.

"I haven't had a home other than this lake for over fifty years," Jack murmured. "But somewhere new would be nice."

Sandy beamed then motioned for Jack to follow him before taking off. The two flew through the night, both of them quiet. All too soon they reached Sandy's home; a massive golden ship formed completely out of sand. Jack's eyes and mouth widened as he stared at it, shock written all over his face. "It's beautiful," he said quietly.

And in that instant any further doubts Sandy might have had about taking Jack home with him vanished. He had done the right thing; he was certain of it. So what if the Guardians gave him flack about it for the next ten centuries? He had given Jack Frost a home and of that he was very proud.

* * *

A/N: I am so sorry this didn't get published sooner but…oh well. Who cares? It's up now; that's all that matters! Sorry if the last couple of chapters of 'Jack Frost' disappointed you guys but I've never been very good at writing endings. So, when I finish this story, if anyone wants to take a crack at helping me write it (or offering advice, etc. for the rest of the story) feel free to do so! 5 reviews. Let me know what you think!


	2. Living With Jack

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 1: Living With Jack

There were times when Sandy wondered if he had briefly gone insane when he offered to take Jack in. It wasn't that Jack caused trouble; on the contrary, he went out of his way to _avoid_ being a bother. But still, Jack could be quite a handful even without trying. Sometimes Sandy wondered how much trouble he could be if he was trying on purpose then decided not to think about that. The major problem with Jack was the snow. Snow followed the boy everywhere he went; it melted on the floor of Sandy's ship, made slippery paths for the humans to fall on, caused blizzards (Bunny just wouldn't stop fussing about that) and generally made itself a nuisance. Oh Jack didn't mean to bring the snow but it was just what he did. He was the 'Spirit of Winter' (that was what he had decided to call himself after a disastrous encounter with the groundhog) and that meant snow, ice and wind followed him wherever he went. But Sandy tolerated it, knowing that the grains of sand he left behind also annoyed the others, Jack especially who did not appreciate finding sand in his eyes and hair after a good night's sleep. So the two kept their mouths shut about each other's faults and lived together in harmony.

Surprisingly, Jack was rarely there. He was a spirit of nature; not one to be trapped indoors at all times. He flew all over the world, making it snow wherever he went. But he always made an effort to return to Sandy's at least once a week. And Sandy never asked anymore; he never asked that Jack come back every single night or tell him where he was going to be at all times. He simply allowed the boy his freedom, asking only that he call Sandy (or one of the other Guardians) if he were in trouble or injured.

Thinking about Jack caused Sandy to smile warmly then scowl at the offending piece of paper he was holding. It was time for North's annual Christmas party and Sandy had been invited. Again. The reason he was thinking about Jack was the part of the invitation parked 'Guests'. He had never told the others about Jack for obvious reasons; he just wasn't sure how they would welcome the young spirit. Especially when they found out that he was invisible. That alone was grounds for not allowing him in Santoff Clausen. And so Sandy had kept Jack hidden from them over an additional fifty years after originally finding him. But Jack was getting older, more powerful. Possibly even more powerful than North! Sandy wasn't sure how much longer he could keep the truth hidden and wasn't that sure that he really wanted to. It wasn't fair to Jack; the others might know of a way to make him visible plus he needed more company than just Sandy. He had developed an alarming habit of carrying on conversations with himself that wouldn't end even after arriving at Sandy's. So it was with a heavy heart and several silent prayers that Sandy marked the 'Guests' box and entered the number 'one'.

* * *

North was busy. It was, after all, a week until Christmas and that meant that North would be working nonstop until December 25, after all the presents had been delivered. The Guardians were fortunate that he had even remembered to send out the invitations! He made sure to read each one as it was returned, taking careful note of the number of guests. Tooth always brought at least ten of her fairies and Bunny usually snuck in ten or fifteen eggs. All of which sat with the elves, with the fairies making sure that the elves didn't eat the eggs. Sandy never brought anyone with him but North always read his over just to be polite. And so he was genuinely startled when he realized that Sandy was bringing a guest.

"Sandy's bringing a guest?" he said out loud, even as he raised both eyebrows in surprise. "I wonder who it could be. We don't even know anyone else. Oh well, as long as it isn't Pitch Black I don't really care who it is."

And with that the Russian carried the invitations to the kitchen where he handed them to one of the three yetis that served as a chef and told him to be sure and prepare an extra place at the main table. Then he returned to his toys and promptly forgot all about Sandy's special guest. Which would later turn out to be a very, very bad idea…

* * *

A/N: First off let me explain my work schedule. I work from 3-11 in the afternoon and don't' usually get home until 11:30. And I don't even get to sit down at the computer until 11:45. So that's why some of my chapters get updated at irregular times. Tuesday's and Friday's I take my shower and don't get out until after 12. No one's complained about my timing so far but I got used to someone updating at a regular time and they didn't one night? I'd get pretty ticked off so just explaining a few things here. And unless I'm ready to drop dead I'll write the chapter that night when I get home.

A/N/N: This story probably won't have any major fights (Pitch, etc.) but will mostly be about the Guardians and Jack trying to find their balance together. (Although there probably will be some fights between Jack and Bunny. Duh!)

A/N/N/N: Thanks for all the reviews and I require 10 reviews before I post the next chapter. If anyone has any ideas let me know. Thanks again!


	3. Meeting The Guardians

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 2: Meeting The Guardians

It was over. Christmas had finally arrived. North, who had just arrived back at the Pole some five minutes earlier, raced through his workshop, praying that he got there before IT started. When he threw open the doors to the main dining hall, however, it was obvious that he had gotten there too late…Bunny and Tooth stood in the center of the room, arguing loudly while Tooth's fairies chirped and the eggs made…whatever that noise was and the elves stood in between the two groups, their little eyes wide as they each clung to either a fairy or an egg.

"You started it!" Bunny yelled. "Your fairies were trying to eat my eggs!"

"My fairies were trying to protect your eggs from the elves!" Tooth retorted.

North looked around helplessly. Where was Sandy when you needed him? Speaking of which, why wasn't the dreamer here already? Usually Sandy was the first one to arrive and could be found dozing away in the corner. Today, however, there was no Sandy to be seen.

Just as North was about to go and try to break up the fight the door flew open and a cold wind blew in. A whirlwind of snow flew all around the room, interrupting Bunny and Tooth in the middle of their argument, leaving the two of them shivering with cold. The whirlwind paused next to North's 'family photos' and remained there. "So cool!" a voice from amidst the snow shouted. "It's hard to believe that you were ever this thin!"

North drew himself up sharply; he was not that fat. Was he?

Just then Sandy entered the room looking very annoyed. He sent out a stream of sand towards the whirlwind, sand dolphins forming. Instantly the snow disappeared leaving behind a boy. "Pretty!" he yelled. "What took you so long, Sandy?"

Sandy scowled then words began flying over his head so fast that nobody could keep up with them.

"You're mad at me for going ahead of you," the boy said simply. "I'm sorry but I just got so excited about finally getting to see the inside of his workshop that I just couldn't help myself." Then he tilted his head to the side and blinked innocently at Sandy. The result was instantaneous; Sandy stopped scowling and smiled back warmly.

Bunny's mouth dropped open. "Who is he?" he finally regained his voice. "Who's the ankle biter and why did you bring him here to the North Pole?!"

"Bunny has good point," North agreed. "No children allowed at the Pole. You know this rule, Sandy."

"Who are you calling a child?" the boy glared at North and suddenly North found himself covered in snow.

"Sandy," he growled.

Sandy groaned (as best he could anyways) and turned back to the child. 'Jack, behave yourself.'

"No," Jack crossed his arms and scowled. "You said you would introduce me to the other Guardians like us. You said nothing about them being stuck-up jerks!"

Tooth gasped. "That's mean," she scolded. "Take that back."

"Never," Jack frowned again then his blue eyes suddenly lit up with mischief. He flew (yes, literally flew) over to the Tooth Fairy and said, "Sandy said I had to show you my teeth." He opened his mouth wide for her.

Tooth peered in then let out a little shriek and gasp. "Girls, come here!" she screeched. "His teeth sparkle like freshly fallen snow!" Immediately the Baby Tooth Fairies obliged by flying over and within seconds Jack was hidden by a cloud of Tooth fairies.

"Well, this is turning out to be a fun evening," Bunny grumbled, crossing his arms.

Sandy nodded, looking slightly overwhelmed yet proud at the same time.

"Who is he, Sandy?" North wanted to know.

"I'm Jack Frost," he announced proudly, shooing away Tooth and her minions. "I'm the 'Spirit of Winter'."

"Don't you mean 'winter spirit'?" Bunny asked politely.

Jack glowered again. "No," he said through clenched teeth. "Spirit _of _Winter!" Suddenly snow fell, covering all of them except for Jack and Sandy. "At least that's what I'm assuming I am," he added thoughtfully. "The Moon never told me anything except for my name and that was it."

"The Moon?" North said weakly, already feeling a headache coming on.

Jack nodded proudly as did Sandy.

"As I said, a fun evening," Bunny sighed.

* * *

A/N: Okay that didn't take as long as I thought; especially since I already had this chapter half written in my head when I got home. Okay sorry if it's not that good but…my muse wouldn't help! It's already moved on to bed. Oh well. 10 reviews please and thank you!


	4. Dinner At North's

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 3: Dinner At North's

Dinner was a quiet, strained affair. Tooth kept glancing nervously around at the table; at Sandy who was glaring at North who was pretending not to notice. Bunny's teeth chattered as he made no attempt to hide the fact that he was freezing. Tooth was cold as well though she tried to ignore that fact and focused on the storm brewing outside the window. After a disastrous incident with the yetis (while they were bringing in the food) and some ice Jack had been unceremoniously banished from the dining room. Sandy had been furious and tried to follow him but Jack had told him to stay and enjoy himself. So now Jack was outside and bringing in a very powerful winter storm by the looks and feel of it. Tooth was already feeling very guilty for not stopping North from kicked the young boy out. So what if Jack had made a mess? Bunny's eggs had once hatched in the middle of the Great Hall and that had been an even bigger mess! So she sat there, her head propped on one hand while she glumly wondered if Jack was hungry.

* * *

North looked down at his plate of mashed potatoes and gravy and tried not to feel guilty. And just what did he have to feel guilty about? He was sitting in a nice, semi-warm (okay freezing cold) building with good food while Jack Frost was outside in the snow probably starving to death. He looked up quickly then back down when he spotted Sandy's glare. He was surprised that the other Guardian hadn't tried to kill him yet. Sandy seemed to have a fierce protective streak when it came to the young boy and the boy of him, if their earlier conversations were anything to go by.

* * *

Sandy felt awful. No, actually, he felt MAD. How dare North treat Jack like that? It wasn't Jack's fault that he didn't have complete control over his powers like the others. He still had a few 'accidents' every now and then. As he sat there Sandy plotted how to best take his revenge and wondered if Jack would like to help him.

* * *

After a few minutes of sitting there and watching all of this unfolding drama Bunny had finally had enough. "That's it!" he bellowed, rising to his feet. "I've had it!" He marched over to the window and threw it open. "Jack Frost! Get in here now! Your food's getting cold!" Then he went and sat back down, ignoring the startled looks from his fellow Guardians.

A minute later Jack Frost flew in, bringing with him even more snow. "My food?" he raised a pale eyebrow. "I don't see a place for me," his voice fairly dripped with sarcasm and scathing.

North clapped his hands and immediately a yeti came in with a big plate of food which he sat down in front of the chair next to Sandy. "Sit," the big Russian said. "Eat. Let us apologize for sending you out."

Jack scowled at him. "Apologies first," he said.

To everyone's surprise Sandy said nothing but leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms expectantly.

North sighed heavily and said, "I am sorry, Jack."

"So am I," Tooth added.

"We all are, mate," Bunny said gently. "Now can you do something about this blasted snow? It's freezing in here!"

Jack smirked and closed his eyes. A minute later the snow flew out the window and the temperature returned to a somewhat normal one much to the others relief. Sandy nodded at him proudly and Jack sat down and began poking at his food. "What do you do with this stuff?" he finally asked.

"You eat it," Tooth explained.

Jack looked to Sandy for confirmation who nodded then proceeded to demonstrate. Jack eyed the food again then slowly began to eat it. After a few bites his face screwed up and he sat his fork down.

"What is wrong with food?" North demanded, already taking defense.

"It's too hot," Jack said at last after swallowing with a shudder. He reached out and touched the food with his finger, nodding with satisfaction. He grabbed his fork and began eating with gusto. "Much better," he exclaimed.

"Too hot?" Bunny repeated looking at his food in amazement. "It's too bloody cold!"

Sandy shrugged and continued eating. He was far too used to the abrupt temperature changes to pay them any real mind.

"Can you do that to my soup?" Tooth asked. "The heat kind of hurts my teeth."

"Sure," Jack grinned then flew over to her and did the same then returned to his seat. "Very good by the way," he added between mouthfuls.

'Don't eat with your mouth full' Sandy told him.

* * *

A/N": Sorry it's so short and so late but my mom decided that we had to browse target for the computer mouses that they had on sale. Thanks for all the reviews last chapter! Please review and let me know what you think! 10 at least!

A/N/N: Jack's 100 years old.


	5. A Promise and A Talk

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 4: A Promise and A Talk

Usually, after dinner, the Guardians would gather in North's study and discuss the events of the past year. This year, however, since Jack was looking particularly antsy Sandy sent him to go and bring and couple of snow storms to wherever he wanted. Once Jack had flown off Sandy turned to the other Guardians, a protective look on his face.

"What is it, Sandy?" Bunny asked with a sigh. "Something tells me it's about Frostbite."

Sandy glowered at him then rapidly began writing words above his head. 'If something happens to me I want you guys to take care of Jack.'

"No!" Tooth yelled in anguish. "I don't want you to die!"

"How can you die, mate?" Bunny asked. "You're called 'Immortal' for a reason."

Sandy gave him a look. 'Every now and then something happens to one of us. You all know that. Plus sometimes I have to go away and replenish myself. When that happens or something else I want you to promise that you will take care of Jack for me. He's just a boy. He doesn't know how to control his powers or anything else for that matter. Please. Do this one thing for me. Please.'

The other three exchanged glances then North nodded. "If it means that much to you, Sandy, we will do it! Won't we?"

Tooth nodded enthusiastically while Bunny just groaned and reluctantly agreed but said that Jack would never be allowed in his Warren. Ever.

* * *

It was late when Sandy finally arrived back at his ship. To say that he was surprised to find Jack there would have been an understatement. He would have thought that the boy would be off bringing a blizzard somewhere or freezing lakes. Jack was sitting in one of the windowsills, in much the same position as he had been when Sandy first found him. Without turning around Jack said, "Hello, Sandy," his voice quiet and devoid of all emotion.

Sandy just shook his head in amusement as he sat down next to the young winter spirit. Jack's uncanny ability to always sense when someone was near him near ceased to amaze him. The two sat there for a while, both of them quiet as they watched the view. Eventually Jack scooted over a little bit and leaned his head on Sandy's shoulder. Sandy was startled but careful not to move. Jack didn't usually initiate physical contact but when he did you could bet that he had a pretty good reason. Sandy made no move to push him away but merely let Jack get the comfort that he so desperately needed but was afraid to ask for.

"I'm sorry if I ruined your dinner," he spoke at last.

Sandy looked surprised then angry. 'You didn't ruin it,' he wrote. 'You were merely…slightly over enthusiastic and the others weren't expecting that. They're used to people like me and Bunny who rarely show our excitement; they're not used to having children around, Jack. Especially children that don't mind expressing their feelings no matter what. In fact, you handled yourself rather maturely.'

"I did?" Jack brightened but only a little.

Sandy nodded. 'For never having any contact with others you showed a rare display of manners and good behavior. At least until you froze Bunny to his seat that is.'

"Hey!" Jack protested. "He was asking for it! He insulted you!"

'And I appreciate you standing up for me but sometimes we need to fight our own battles. Besides, after tonight I don't think any of them are going to be insulting me.'

Jack chuckled a little. "They better not," he mumbled drowsily. "Or else I'll freeze all of them." He yawned and settled more deeply into Sandy's shoulder. "Can I sleep on you for a bit?" he asked.

'Of course,' Sandy said but by then Jack was already asleep. The Guardian smiled softly and allowed a little bit of sand to form dolphins above Jack's head then settled down, making himself comfortable. It was going to be a long night. But that was okay because he had Jack and Jack had him and now at least the other Guardians knew about Jack so he didn't have to worry about that anymore. At that moment everything seemed right in the world.

* * *

A/N: 'Don't talk with your mouth full' that's what I meant to put. Thanks so much for all of the reviews! Please leave more! Sorry this chapter is so late but tonight's the first chance I've had to get some spyware for my laptop (it literally crashed three times this morning!) plus doing a little Christmas shopping…I hate the holidays but I love the presents!

Ten reviews or no more chapters! Thanks for not complaining about the lengths of the chapters. Guess everybody learned their lesson from my last story huh? Thanks again!


	6. Sandy Leaves

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 5: Sandy Leaves

Sooner than the Guardians had reckoned they found themselves obligated to keep their promise to Sandy. The oldest Guardian had decided that it was time for him to go take a long nap and replenish his strength, leaving Jack under the watchful eye of North to the chagrin of both parties.

"But I don't need a babysitter!" Jack whined.

"He is big boy," North agreed. "More than capable of looking after himself."

"Yeah," Jack nodded enthusiastically then accidentally sent out a bolt of ice that knocked down three yetis. "Oops," he muttered.

Sandy just gave them each a look and crossed his arms.

North sighed reluctantly. "Fine," he grumbled. "Jack can stay here until you return."

"Hey!" Jack protested again. "I don't 'stay' anywhere!"

Sandy nodded then turned back to North. 'Don't keep him caged up. He doesn't like that. Let him go wherever he wants to. I just want to know someone is keeping an eye out for him and that he has somewhere to go in case something happens.'

"Like what happens?" North asked warily.

"That blizzard and those three ships sinking were an accident," Jack called from where he was trying to help the yetis up but not entirely succeeding.

'You said there was one ship,' Sandy reminded him.

"I forgot," Jack shrugged and grinned at him innocently.

_Oh boy,_ North thought. _This is going to be loads of fun._

* * *

After Sandy had flown away in his plane North and Jack just stood there in a silent face-off, as if trying to determine any weaknesses in their opponent. "So," North said at last. "What is it that you normally do?"

Jack shrugged. "Go flying I guess. Bring a few storms and all that good stuff. I just never really thought about it before. Sandy just usually lets me do my thing and I let him do his."

North sighed helplessly. "So do you want to do your thing or hang around workshop?" instantly he regretted his offer as Jack's blue eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Can I really see your workshop?" he gasped hopefully.

"Of course," North smiled at him warmly. "What could go wrong?"

* * *

Three hours, forty yetis, six hundred and thirty toys and all of North's sanity later the Guardian of Wonder found himself questioning his judgment. "What could go wrong?" he scoffed. "What could _not_ go wrong?!"

The day had started out well enough; Jack had been too wide-eyed and open-mouthed to really cause any damage. But after about an hour he had started getting curious, demanding answers on how to make an engine for a model plane or why the nutcrackers had to be painted red and green. His questions were exhausting and pretty good ones, forcing North to wonder some of the same things himself and then get embarrassed when he realized that he didn't know the answer. But the highlight of the afternoon had come when one of the yetis had accidentally tripped over a stray toy, falling on top of Jack causing the younger boy to panic and last out at the threat. It had taken North two hours to calm both Jack and the yetis back down but by then the damage had already been done. Jack had unleashed a nice snowstorm inside, coating everything with ice and frost before flying out the nearest window, hopefully to somewhere very far away. The yetis, while powerless, were very strong and had inadvertently crushed several small toys and squished a few elves, leaving them flatter than pancakes so that they had to be scraped off the floor with spatulas before being delivered to the kitchen to be returned to their normal shape.

All in all it had been a very long afternoon and Sandy was scheduled to be gone for several weeks! North groaned and banged his head on the desk. There was absolutely no way whatsoever that he could survive Jack this long with reinforcements and a lot of aspirin. The sound of another crash jarred his teeth and he mentally readjusted his thoughts to include some very strong eggnog. Very, very strong. More crashes. Eggnog and aspirin first then he would call Bunnymund. Perhaps the Pooka would be so kind as to bring his boomerangs with him! Or perhaps he should call Tooth instead. She would be more suited to cajoling Jack to be good. Another crash and muffled yeti curses made up his mind. He would call Bunny and then Tooth but only as a last resort. He wanted Jack Frost taken care of, not molly-coddled.

* * *

A/N: Glad you guys liked the last chapter! Once again, was not expecting so many reviews! But please keep it up! Oh and you guys do know that I will continue to update even without the reviews right? But the chapters will be better (and faster) with the reviews. Capche? 10 reviews please!


	7. Bunny Reinforcements

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 6: Bunny Reinforcements

"So tell me, mate, where's this little bundle of terror?" Bunny asked as he leaned nonchalantly against a wall, casually polishing his boomerangs.

North glared at his friend. "This is serious, Bunny. Jack Frost is a menace to society and especially to the Pole!"

Bunny sighed heavily and replaced the boomerang in his pack. "Look, North. Jack is just a kid. Granted he's also a hyperactive kid with the ability to control winter but he's still a kid! Just how much damage do you honestly think he can do?!"

As if on cue there were several loud crashes followed by Phil the yeti's curses. North sighed heavily and buried his face in his hands. "He was here for less than four hours, Bunny, yet he managed to single handedly set me back five months. Christmas will never arrive on time this year!" he moaned.

"Cheer up, mate," Bunny said. "I'll track down the little ankle biter and bring him back for an apology."

North immediately straightened, looking terrified. "No!" he protested. "Do not bring Jack here! The Pole cannot take it and neither can I."

Bunny gave him a look. "If you can't handle it, mate, what do you expect the rest of us to do? Besides, Sandy won't be happy when he gets back."

North groaned. "Fine, bring Jack back here. But try not to hurt him; I do not wish to have to explain it to Sandy."

"Can't make any promises, mate, but I'll do my best," Bunny said before hopping away. He had a wayward winter spirit to track down.

* * *

Three hours later Bunny was forced to admit defeat. This had never happened to him before. He was an excellent tracker and had never before lost his prey. Until now, that is. The first person to ever elude him just _had_ to be that horrid Jack Frost kid. How had he done it though? That was what Bunny wanted to know. How had an Immortal, barely one hundred years old, managed to evade the Easter Bunny? He was so never going to live this down. If Sandy and the others found out they would never let him forget it, Sandy especially as he still seemed to be particularly vindictive over the whole Christmas dinner fiasco. Bunny really hoped he didn't have to explain to Sandy the fact that he had been tracking Jack just so they could drag him back to the Pole. He doubted that neither he nor North would survive that encounter. With a twitch of his ears he disappeared down a tunnel, heading back for the Pole.

* * *

"How could you not find him?" North demanded. "He is small boy; you are Easter Bunny. You have taken on Pitch Black single handedly…"

"And lost. Badly," Bunny interrupted. "Besides you said it yourself; he's a small kid. There are tons of hiding places all over the globe where he could hide and never be found."

At that North brightened. "The globe!" he explained. "We can use it to find Jack!"

"Uhh," Bunny began. "I'm not so sure that's such a good idea, mate. You know the globe records every time one of us uses it to track down a specific person and Sandy will be wondering _why_ we were using the globe to find Jack when he was _supposed_ to be within calling distance."

North stopped and frowned. "You are right," he sighed heavily. "But what do you propose? I do not feel comfortable leaving him on his own. The world is not safe."

Bunny groaned and rolled his eyes. "North," he said in exasperation. "Now you're just plain crazy. I'll admit; the kid's very annoying not to mention pretty good with that staff of his but I highly doubt he'll go bonkers and destroy the world before Sandy gets back."

It was then that the temperature dropped twenty degrees and the yetis began yelling.

"Of course I could be wrong," Bunny sighed as he and North headed to the entrance to see what was wrong.

Jack Frost hovered in the air just outside the front door, snow falling all around him. That in and of itself wasn't unusual but the fact that his cloak was missing was. That and all the blood that stained his tattered white shirt. "Hi," he said weakly. "Can I borrow some bandages?" then he fainted and fell right into North's arms who had caught him purely on reflex.

The big Guardian looked at Bunny and raised an eyebrow, a triumphant smile on his face.

"I was wrong," Bunny grumbled. "So sue me."

The two were interrupted by Phil who let out several garbled words, pointing at Jack and raising a large eyebrow.

"Right," North nodded, suddenly all business. "We must get him to infirmary. Then I gloat."

Bunny scowled at his retreating back as they headed towards the infirmary, muttering some choice words all the while.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Hope you guys like this chapter and let me know what you think! If you have any ideas that you want to see incorporated into one of my stories just let me know and I'll see what I can do. 10 reviews please! Merry Christmas!


	8. Rash Decision

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 7: Rash Decision

It took them the space of only a few minutes to get Jack to what could be called the infirmary. By then Jack's blood had already soaked North's formerly white shirt and left a nice little trail behind them. "What do you think happened to him?" Bunny asked, his voice suddenly very serious as they stood in the Globe Room.

"I do not know," North replied. "But when I find out someone will have to answer for this."

"Aww," Bunny said sarcastically. "I didn't know you cared."

"I don't," North said shortly, "but Sandy will not be happy when he returns and discovers that we let someone beat Jack up without even a little bit of retaliation."

"Got a good point there, mate," Bunny admitted. "Not to mention Tooth's taken a bit of a shine to him as well. Although I don't see what the big deal is. He can make winter; so what? Does he leave the children toys or make them happy? No he doesn't."

"Agreed. But if Man in Moon made him Immortal then he must have good quality. Somewhere," North added as an afterthought. "Very deep down inside."

* * *

It took the yetis about two hours but they finally managed to stop Jack's bleeding. The head yeti, Phil, also mentioning that he was worried about how scrawny Jack was.

North only let out a loud groan. "Do not tell me you are falling for him as well, Phil. The yeti are supposed to be tough, not moaning over every winter spirit."

Phil glared at him then continued speaking loudly in yetish.

"Of course we protect all children," North sounded indignant. "But Jack is no child; he is Immortal."

Phil let out another loud string of words that sounded like he was reprimanding North.

The stocky Guardian (he refused to be called _fat_ or _chubby_) drew himself up to his full height and glared fiercely at his second-in-command. "I have not failed duty!" he proclaimed loudly. A little _too_ loudly in Bunny's opinion. "I have taken care of children. I have kept eye on Jack and will keep eye on him until Sandy returns. No matter what Jack will not leave the Pole…" his voice trailed off when he suddenly realized what he had just said as Phil nodded triumphantly. "What have I done?" the Russian groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"Sounds like you've just made a deal to let Jack Frost stay here til Sandy gets back," Bunny said, his lips curving up in a smile. "Which won't be for several more weeks!" the Pooka fell on his back and rolled on the floor for several minutes, just laughing his head off. "You're such an idiot, North," he finally managed to gasp. "You've got to keep that little bugger here! For a very long time!"

North glared at Bunny with such ferocity that the Pooka immediately sobered and stood. "Since you seem to think this so amusing, old friend, you will stay here and help me, yes?"

Bunny was already shaking his head as he began to back up. "Uh-uh, I don't think so, mate. Who's going to keep an eye on the eggs while they hatch? And make the chocolate?"

North made a noise and waved his hand indifferently. "Eggs will be fine. You already show them how to make chocolate. They will call if something happens."

"But, but," Bunny stuttered, knowing that he was backed in a corner with no way out. "Fine," he groaned, his large shoulders slumping. "I'll stay and help you keep an eye on the little bugger. But only if you call in Tooth to help."

North scowled then shrugged. "As you wish. Now come, we must fix Jack's clothes. They are in many pieces. He will need new ones when he wakes."

Bunny stuck his tongue out at North as they headed back to the infirmary. "Someone's gonna pay for this," the rabbit muttered. "And when I find out who Tooth's gonna be givin' out a lot more quarters."

"Hurry," North called. "I thought Pooka were fast but you are very slow."

Bunny stopped dead still in the middle of the hallway. Had North, Mr. Fatso himself just called Bunny, the only surviving Pooka, slow? After determining that that was indeed what had happened Bunny's eyes narrowed and he began hopping, practically flying past North, beating him to the infirmary. Arriving first, he threw the door open just in time to see Jack Frost diving headfirst out of the window.

* * *

A/N: Okay it's the holidays and I know that everybody (myself included) is going to be extremely busy and not have time to read/write/review stories for a couple of days. So, this is going to be my last chapter until after Christmas. The next one will probably be released on the 26th. Probably. Glad you guys have enjoyed it so far and hope that you continue to read it. Ten reviews please. Merry Christmas!

A/N/N: Oh and if you have any ideas or suggestions for further stories/chapters please feel free to share. I always read the reviews and promise to take the ideas under careful consideration. Thanks! Merry Christmas!


	9. Tooth Arrives

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 8: Tooth Arrives

By the time Tooth had arrived the North Pole was in chaos. The yetis were running around like chickens with their heads cut off, peeking out of windows, preparing first aid supplies and tripping over the elves that seemed to constantly be underfoot. North and Bunny were in front of the Globe, yelling at each other their words barely distinguishable. Tooth could just barely make out the words, "Sandy," "Jack Frost," "window," "strangle with my bare hands" and something about breaking a wooden staff.

"Hi, guys," she said cheerfully as she flew up to them. "What's wrong?"

The two male Guardians spun around to face her, Bunny's paws grasping the boomerangs firmly while North grabbed for the swords that he had obviously left in his workshop judging by the empty scabbards.

"Ah it is only you, Tooth!" North exclaimed, his face brightening.

Slightly offended (not to mention confused), Tooth crossed her arms and glared at the other two. "What's going on?" she demanded. "And why does it look like you guys are fixing to go on a camping trip?"

"Camping?" now Bunny was the one that looked confused. "We're not going camping. Where did you ever get that idea from?"

In response Tooth merely pointed to the small group of yetis that were carefully filling backpacks with flashlights and blankets while another unfolded and then refolded tents, checking for holes. Two elves painted snowshoes bright red then discarded the shoes in exchange for the paintbrushes which they began to lick. Two more yetis carefully rolled up bandages before placing them in a backpack along with several small bottles that were all labeled with the names of different medicines plus a lollipop.

"Oh," Bunny nodded in understanding. "We're not going camping, mate, we're going hunting for Jack Frost."

"Jack?" immediately Tooth was concerned. "What's happened to him?"

Her fellow Guardians exchanged uneasy glances then North answered. "We are not certain. All we know for sure is that Jack arrived here, badly injured and after the yetis treated him he dove out of window. Now we are fixing to go look for him."

"Injured?" that caught Tooth's attention immediately. The Guardians _never_ got hurt unless they were fighting Pitch. She swallowed and very uneasily asked, "Do you think it was Pitch?"

North and Bunny straightened, both of them looking very alarmed.

"I don't think so, mate," Bunny said but his voice sounded very weak and unconvincing even to his own ears.

"Perhaps we should track Pitch down," North suggested only to be met by two disbelieving looks.

"You're crazy," Tooth stated. "I'm just as worried about Jack as you guys are but deliberately seeking out The Nightmare King just to ask him a stupid question is not the best of ideas."

"She's got a point," Bunny pointed out. "I'd rather use the Globe and explain to Sandy why we were looking for Jack. At least then we'd have some small chance of surviving."

"Sandy!" Tooth cried happily. "Why don't we just ask Sandy where Jack is?"

North and Bunny just stared at her in horror for two full minutes before speaking.

"No!" Bunny shouted. "There's no way whatsoever that I'm going to tell Sandy that we lost Jack Frost! Do you have any idea what he would do to us?!"

North nodded in agreement. "It is not good idea. Globe is better idea. All agreed? We use Globe."

With that the three Guardians turned and walked over with North to the Globe. He raised his hands and muttered an ancient spell. Instantly all the lights on the Globe brightened then disappeared, leaving only the lights that gave the location of each Guardian/Immortal.

Tooth flew to the top of the Globe and frowned when she saw only three lights there. "He's not at the North Pole," she called down.

"Nor the South," Bunny added.

"He's not anywhere on the Globe," North declared. "But he must be! All of us are on here."

Tooth sighed heavily as she returned to the floor. "We need to call Sandy," she said firmly. "Now."

North nodded reluctantly and walked over to where the control for the Northern Lights was, the Guardians' equivalent of 'The Bat Signal.' He raised the lever then pushed it back down, twisting it at the same time. Almost instantly the signal went out, flashing all across the sky.

"Now what?" Bunny wanted to know.

"Now?" North shrugged. "Now we wait."

They didn't have long to wait; less than a minute later Sandy flew in through one of the windows, a very cross look on his face and Jack Frost hovering in the air behind him.

* * *

A/N: I'm so sorry that this chapter's so short! But my muse wouldn't let me make it any longer! Really! Any ideas about who hurt Jack? Tell me who you think it is and I'll let you know if you're right or not! Thanks so much for reviewing and I hope all of you had a great Christmas! 10 reviews please! Happy New Years!


	10. Sandy's Story

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 9: Sandy's Story

He was, Sandy decided, never going away again as long as he lived. Every century or so he had to go and rest, to regain his strength and while that wasn't normally a big deal this year it was because of Jack Frost. But he had thought that leaving Jack would North would keep the young spirit out of trouble but, no such luck. He had only managed to catch a few hours of sleep when Jack had shown up, blood staining his clothes and hair and his face covered in bruises. Alarmed, Sandy had shot straight up and began writing words so fast that it made Jack so dizzy that he was forced to sit down on Sandy's dream sand cloud and catch his balance.

'Are you ok?' Sandy asked, finally slowing down enough for his words to become legible.

Jack slowly nodded. "I'm cold," he admitted.

If anything Sandy looked even more alarmed. Jack was the 'Spirit of Winter'; the cold didn't bother him, it never had. And even if it did Jack wasn't the type to mention it so the fact that he was doing so now scared the old Guardian.

'Come,' Sandy stood up and extended a golden arm to the child. 'We must return to North's.'

Jack only shook his head, looking even more terrified.

Sandy's eyes narrowed. For Jack to be acting like that could only mean one thing; someone, something connected to the North Pole had done this to him. And Sandy vowed that when he found out who he was going to kill them, no matter how it affected his status as a Guardian.

'Come,' Sandy said again. 'I promise that I won't let anyone hurt you. And I know North wouldn't either; was it a yeti? An elf perhaps?'

Jack shook his head again. "Reindeer," he whispered.

Sandy growled slightly then forced himself to calm down. For him to become angry at that moment would only cause Jack to become even more scared than he already was. And that simply would not do. No one scared Jack and got away with it; even if they were magical reindeer that could fly. 'I won't let the reindeer near you,' he promised. 'And if they try to hurt you again they'll have to deal with me. So what do you say?'

Jack hesitated then slowly nodded and reached up to grab Sandy's outstretched hand even if he didn't really need the help. "What about your rest?" he asked worriedly once he had regained his balance.

Sandy just waved his hand, indicating that Jack shouldn't worry about it. 'I can always rest later but right now you are my main priority.'

Jack still didn't look convinced but the look of relief on his face was enough to make Sandy feel like crying. He was really going to have to have a very _long_ talk with the other Guardians about accepting this special young boy.

'Let's go,' Sandy quickly made a sand airplane and headed off towards the North Pole, Jack crouching on one of the wings, content to let Sandy safely guide him to their destination. And that worried Sandy as well; Jack was very independent and often made it known (sometimes very loudly and with a blizzard) that he didn't need anyone's help. For him to be placing this much trust in Sandy…well it did wonders for the old Guardian's heart and strengthened his resolve to make the reindeer and the other Guardians pay for what they had done. And he was definitely never going to leave Jack alone again. Ever.

* * *

They had almost reached their destination when the Northern Lights appeared.

"They must really be scared," Jack sounded slightly amused. "If they're willing to risk summoning you to find me."

Sandy was forced to agree, silently nodding his head. They had to very spooked (either that or Tooth was there) if they were calling for him. He knew that they had been slightly intimidated by him at the Christmas dinner after throwing Jack out and he highly doubted they would have forgotten that. Especially now that Jack was missing. No doubt Bunny had already scoured all that he possibly could as well as North. He sniggered when he realized that he and Jack were already getting their revenge on them; the Guardians were probably terrified of what he was going to do to them by now! Ah, revenge was sweet. But still, they had to pay more especially North and his stupid reindeer.

His thoughts were interrupted by Jack announcing that they had arrived. The airplane dissipated and he flew through an open window followed by Jack. The two of them took great pleasure in seeing the looks of shock on the others' faces at the sight of Jack. Oh yeah. Payback was awesome.

* * *

A/N: Sorry it's so short. Umm, I hope whitetiger2194 doesn't mind me borrowing her idea about Jack not being on the globe. (Not going to make a full story of it, I promise!) If she objects I don't mind deleting that part from my chapter. You guys should definitely read his/her story. It's called 'The Brightest Light' and can be found under my favorite stories.

A/N/N: Thanks for all the reviews last chapter! No more complaints about my reviews! I'm taking time out of my busy schedule to sit down at this computer and write a chapter every night for you guys and even read a couple of your stories! So, please don't complain about the reviews! Or complain about me complaining about the reviews! 10 reviews please! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


	11. Jack Is Attacked

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 10: Jack Is Attacked

To say that the Guardians were surprised to see Jack would have been an understatement. They all stood there for a few minutes, dumbfounded. Tooth was the first to break the spell, flying eagerly towards the two newly arrived figures exclaiming, "Jack!"

Jack's eyes grew wide and he hid behind Sandy, who first looked startled then even more angry as he drew himself to his full height and crossed his arms, glowering at the other three.

Startled, Tooth drew back, her eyes betraying the hurt that she felt. "Are you ok, Jack?" she finally asked, figuring that would be the one thing that could possibly get her back on Sandy's good side.

"I'm fine," Jack answered at last, after looking silently at Sandy as if asking for his permission first.

'You,' Sandy said as he pointed at North, 'need to keep your reindeer under control.'

"Huh?" North looked confused then his eyes widened as he realized what Sandy was talking about. "My reindeer would never hurt Jack."

"Well it certainly wasn't a wolf that did this," Jack added then ducked behind Sandy once more.

"But why would the reindeer attack you?" Bunny wanted to know.

"That's what I want to know too," Jack grumbled. "I didn't _mean_ to land in the barn. The Wind threw me a little off course that's all."

Sandy raised an eyebrow at that. The North Wind _never_ threw Jack off course (the first couple of years didn't count as they had spent that time getting acquainted) and instead seemed to go out of its way to make sure that Jack was delivered safely to wherever he wanted to go.

"Oh it wasn't the North Wind," Jack added, once he saw Sandy's pensive and, frankly, puzzled expression. "It was the South Wind."

All four of the Guardians gasped as did all of the yetis and elves that were in the room.

"You tried the South Wind, mate?" Bunny's voice was hoarse.

Jack nodded.

"And you survived?" North sounded incredulous.

Jack nodded again. "I didn't like it as much as the North Wind," he admitted. "But the North Wind was busy so I figured I'd try the South Wind instead."

"What's so wrong about the South Wind?" Tooth asked innocently.

"South Wind is very unstable," North replied. "It does not like it when spirits ride it."

"The fact that the North Wind even allows it is amazing," Bunny interjected.

"But South Wind is worse. It throws everyone off course. Not to mention it likes to agitate the reindeer," North finished.

"Is that why they attacked me?" Jack asked.

"Probably," North said. "Either that or you scared them very badly."

Jack just nodded then let out a loud yawn. Instantly Sandy transformed from 'evilly grinning spirit' to 'overprotective father.' He threw a small handful of sand at Jack who blinked then fell to the floor in a heap, sand dolphins swimming around his head.

"We take him to infirmary," North said, bending down to pick up the small spirit only to be stopped by Sandy who glowered at him before taking Jack in his own arms.

"Or you can take him to the infirmary," Bunny added. "And we'll just follow along at our own pace."

Sandy ignored all of them as he floated the infirmary where he carefully placed Jack on an empty bed then pulled a thin sheet over top of him. Only then did he turn to look at the other Guardians, his arms crossed and sand blowing out of his ears.

"Is he going to be all right?" Tooth asked worriedly, earning herself a smile from Sandy.

'He'll be fine,' Sandy told her. 'The reindeer, on the other hand, are a completely different story. You need to have a serious talk with them, North.'

"I will, I will," North held up his hands in a placating gesture. "I promise to have talk with the reindeer about why they don't attack random spirits that fall through roof."

Bunny sniggered. "I told you those reindeer were dangerous, North, didn't I?"

"That was only because you dig tunnel at wrong place," North retorted, defending his precious reindeer.

"No fighting, please," Tooth said quickly, anticipating the battle that was about to take place. "Jack needs his rest and he certainly can't get it if the two of you keep him up with all your arguing!"

Sandy nodded in agreement then promptly shooed the three from the room, closing the door behind them with a soft bang.

* * *

"Well," Bunny said at last as they stood out in the middle of the hall. "I can honestly say that's the first time Sandy's ever thrown me out of a room before."

"Can you blame him?" Tooth snapped. "The two of you were supposed to be keeping an eye on Jack and making sure that he stayed out of trouble! I'd say the two of you did a terrible job!"

"Technically North was the one supposed to be watching Jack," Bunny corrected.

"I have never been thrown out of my own house before," the Russian said in wonder. "Never. Not even the year the elves decided to make me Christmas present."

"You'll get over it, mate," Bunny patted North consolingly on the shoulder then hopped towards the kitchen to get some hot chocolate.

* * *

A/N: Loved the reviews! Okay here's what happened with the reindeer: Jack rides South Wind to the Pole. South doesn't like Jack on his back so he throws Jack into the stables. Startled by the roof caving in (and Jack falling through) the reindeer get spooked and attack Jack whom they see as a threat. Make sense? Hope it does.

A/N/N: 10 reviews please! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


	12. The Guardians Promise

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 11: The Guardians Promise

Once he was absolutely certain that Jack was sound asleep and wouldn't be doing anything any time soon Sandy headed for North's office where he knew the others would be gathered. After closing the door behind him he flew straight to North and glared at him.

"I already said sorry," North protested. "It is not my fault the reindeer attack Jack."

Sandy merely raised an eyebrow as he asked, 'Did you even think to warn them that Jack would be on the property?'

"Well, no," North reluctantly admitted. "But I did not think he would come in that way! I figured he would use front door."

"So much for that theory," Bunny sighed. "I don't know Frostbite that well but something tells he doesn't do what you would expect him to do."

Sandy nodded in agreement. 'You got that right. But still you should have at least warned the reindeer that you were going to have company."

"But I did not think he would stay," North argued. "I thought he would go do 'his thing'. I did not really expect him to stay here."

"But you did promise Sandy that you would keep an eye on Jack if something happened to him," Tooth spoke up unexpectedly.

"Technically all three of us agreed," Bunny corrected. "But only North here was dumb enough to agree to let Jack stay overnight."

Sandy glared at Bunny even as he wrote, 'The only reason I left Jack with North was because I thought Jack would be more comfortable here. Plus I knew you would never let Jack near your eggs and Tooth's way too busy with the teeth.'

"He's got a point," Tooth agreed. "I mean, none of us really have time for a kid, even one that's as independent as Jack. North's got toys, Bunny has eggs and Sandy and I are too busy at night with the children. The fact that Sandy even manages to make time for Jack is amazing."

"I think we're getting a little off track here," Bunny cut in. "We're supposed to be figuring out what to do with Jack while Sandy goes and gets some sleep."

Sandy nodded then yawned, blinking at them sleepily. 'I still need to sleep. So where is Jack going to stay?"

The other three exchanged uneasy glances then North sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. "Jack may stay here but only if I get help."

"I'll help," Tooth volunteered eagerly. "Someone has to keep an eye on those beautiful teeth," she smiled happily as she rose a little higher into the air.

Bunny eyed the Tooth Fairy uneasily then said, "I guess I'll help too."

Sandy beamed at them. 'Now was that so hard? Just see he doesn't hurt himself or anyone else. I'll have a chat with him and make sure that he checks in every few days or so until I return.'

"Can't we just tie him to the bed and done with it?" Bunny wanted to know.

'NO!' the words were fully capitalized even as Sandy's glare intensified. 'If I come back and find out that you guys did that then I can promise you that you will be in so many pieces not even the Moon will be able to put you back together again! Do you understand me?!'

The Guardians looked slightly aback then Tooth spoke, her voice shaking ever so slightly. "We understand, Sandy. And we promise to take good care of Jack."

"Very good care," Bunny added.

"Extremely good care," North promised.

Sandy smiled at them once more. 'Let me say goodbye to Jack then I need to get going. Take very good care of him because if I come back and find out that you didn't…' the words trailed off, his threat unspoken but still delivered successfully.

* * *

With that the dream Guardian turned and flew back down the hallways to Jack's room. He knocked softly then entered. He smiled softly when he saw Jack curled up in the bed, his sheets on the floor while ice and snow covered not only the floor but the bed as well. He placed a hand on the pale forehead and relaxed when he realized that Jack's temperature was normal (well as normal as Jack's temperature could be anyways). Next he checked the bandages to make sure that they were still white. One of the bandages on his left wrist was stained red but nowhere near as bad as it had been when Jack had found him. He knew that Jack couldn't hear him so, instead, he added a few different images to Jack's dream before kissing Jack softly on the cold forehead. Then he flew out the open window, intent on getting some sleep then hurrying back to check on Jack as soon as possible.

* * *

A/N: Loved the reviews last chapter! Thanks guys! Love the reviews that are long and detailed but regular reviews are fine too! Glad you liked the last chapter and hope you like this one too! 10 reviews please! Happy New Year!


	13. Jack Leaves Again

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 12: Jack Leaves Again

After Sandy had left Tooth wasted no time but started flying towards the infirmary.

"Whoa," Bunny said, grabbing her foot. "And where do you think you're going?"

"To check on Jack," Tooth said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"No," North said. "First we make plan on how to keep Jack here then we go check on him."

"And just how do you propose we do that?" Bunny raised an eyebrow. "Unless you plan on chaining him to the bed (an idea which Sandy has already vetoed I might add) then we're out of luck."

"His staff!" North cried. "Without staff he cannot fly and he cannot make it snow. We take away staff he is stuck here. And we keep eye on him until Sandy returns."

"It's a brilliant idea, mate," Bunny agreed, looking happier than he had all day.

"And just what do you guys think _Sandy_ will have to say about that?" Tooth raised an eyebrow as she fixed her two male friends with a glare.

North scowled and his shoulders slumped. "Then we are back at first square," he sighed in defeat.

"How about we entertain him?" Tooth cried happily.

"Entertain him?" it looked as if it pained Bunny to even think about the words, much less say them.

"Why not?" the more Tooth thought about it, the better the idea sounded. "I mean we did promise Sandy to keep an eye on him and none of us can really spare all that time away from our homes. So why don't we each keep him for two days apiece until Sandy gets back? That way none of us will go completely crazy and he can't get bored! It's a terrific idea!"

"Not bad," North agreed. "But who gets him first? I have already had him for one day and it will take weeks to clean up damage."

"You keep him tomorrow," Tooth said, her entire body vibrating with excitement. "Then I'll come pick him up and then Bunny can come to my Palace to get him."

"No!" Bunny shrieked in alarm, almost tripping over his own feet as he stood straight up. "There is no way whatsoever that that brat is setting foot in my Warrens!"

There was a loud crash and the Guardians all turned to see Jack Frost standing in the doorway, a frozen elf lying on the floor in front of him. "Well I certainly don't want to be an inconvenience to anybody," his voice was cold, much colder than even his weather! "So I'll be off now. Let me know when Sandy comes back." And with that he blasted his way through the ceiling, allowing snow to cover the floor before he disappeared into the cloudy sky.

"Nice going, Bunny," North glared at the unrepentant Easter Bunny. "Now we have to go track him down. _Again!"_

Bunny winced when he realized that Tooth was glaring at him as well. "I'm sorry," he backed up, holding out his paws in a placating gesture. "I didn't realize he was right there. Honest."

"In that case you get to lead search," North said, clapping Bunny on the back a bit more roughly than normal. "Try lake that Sandy mentioned where Jack first awaken."

"It was in Pennsylvania," Tooth put in helpfully.

Bunny glared at the two but reluctantly opened one of his tunnels and hopped down, the ground closing behind him, a single pink tulip the only sign he had ever been there.

"I go get sleigh," North sighed heavily.

"And I'll get some of my fairies," Tooth smiled happily then flew out of the hole that Jack had created.

"You," North pointed at a couple of the yetis who were poking their heads in through a different doorway. "Fix hole in roof. If Jack Frost comes back keep him here."

The yetis nodded then began arguing amongst themselves about the best way to fix the hole. North just shook his head in amusement before heading towards the barn where both the sleigh and the reindeer were kept.

"I just hope Sandy doesn't decide to come back early again," the Guardian of Wonder muttered. "Otherwise we all be on Naughty List for two centuries at least!"

* * *

A/N: Yes I know that all they seem to be doing is chasing Jack. But come on! The Guardians babysitting a young Jack…how funny is that! And I didn't mean for the story to get this long. I was thinking; 'hey 10 chapters' at the most and here we are at number 12. I trust no one is complaining though? If you want this story to be over with then tell me. Thanks for all the reviews. Let's see if we can make 200 this chapter! That's only 8 more!

A/N/N: Oh and if anyone wants to make story art then you are more than welcome to! Just send me the link so I can post it on my profile page. I would really like a picture of the 4th? Chapter where Jack is sleeping against Sandy. Or maybe a pic of where Bunny is looking for Jack and he can't find him but Jack is hiding behind a tree! Or any scenes for that matter. Thanks again and please review!


	14. Bunny Talks To Jack Frost

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 13: Bunny Talks To Jack Frost

Finding Pennsylvania wasn't hard. Finding a _lake_ in Pennsylvania was only slightly harder. Finding _Jack Frost_ in Pennsylvania was proving to be next to impossible. Even as he ran through his tunnels at break neck speed Bunny silently cursed winter spirits, Sandy, winter spirits, Tooth, winter spirits, North, winter spirits, and even himself. He cursed the Moon he cursed everyone that he could think of, even the Groundhog who (as far as Bunny knew) didn't have anything to do with Jack. He was just about to call it quits and head back to the North Pole (he'd sooner face Tooth's wrath than another lake) when his head poked out of the ground and straight into a snow bank.

After wiping all of the snow from his face Bunny was elated when he finally realized that there was a blizzard in progress. And where a blizzard was, Jack Frost couldn't be too far behind. Sure enough his guess proved to be correct when (after squinting and tilting his head to the left) he could just barely make out the thin figure sitting on the frozen ice. Managing to momentarily forget the cold Bunny pushed forward and stepped onto the ice only to slip and slide halfway across the ice, earning a snigger from the small boy before falling silent once more.

"Oi, mate," Bunny said. "Help a bloke up, will ya?"

Jack Frost rose and walked over to where Bunny lay on the ice. "Why should I?" he asked, resting his chin on the crook of his staff as he stared down at the large Easter Bunny.

Bunny blinked. "Why shouldn't you?"

"Oh I don't know," Jack began circling Bunny lazily. "I thought I was just a brat. And from what I know brats don't help anyone for any reason whatsoever. Unless they get a really great prize in return," he added thoughtfully.

"What do you want?" Bunny asked desperately, suddenly very aware of the fact that Jack Frost had a huge advantage over him and clearly knew it.

"Hum. Let me think about it," Jack made a big show out of rubbing his chin with a thoughtful expression on his face as he did so. "Oh I know!" he snapped his fingers. "This just came to me; what I would like more than anything is for you to apologize to me for calling me a brat."

Before Bunny could open his mouth to protest Jack continued speaking.

"And in exchange I'll not only help you up but I will also apologize for ruining Easter."

Bunny's mouth snapped shut and he considered it for a moment. Reluctantly he nodded. "You got yourself a deal, Frostbite, now help me up."

"Nah-uh," Jack shook his head and jumped back a few feet. "Apology first."

Bunny growled but knew he had no choice. "I'm sorry for calling you a brat," he muttered.

"What's that?" Jack cupped a hand around his ear. "I'm sorry but I didn't hear you."

"I'm sorry for calling you a brat," Bunny said a little bit louder.

"I still didn't catch that," Jack's blue eyes sparkled with mischief.

"I said I'm sorry for calling you a brat!" Bunny yelled, the sheer volume driving Jack back several feet.

"Now was that so hard?" Jack teased as he came to stand over Bunny. "I'm sorry too by the way for ruining Easter. I just wanted someone to see me." He extended an icy cold hand, the mere touch frosting Bunny's arm and sending a chill down the Pooka's spine.

"Do you mean to tell me that you're invisible?" Bunny was incredulous.

Jack's smile disappeared and he jerked his hand back. "Sandy didn't tell you?" at the shake of Bunny's head he sighed. "I should've known he wouldn't. _He_ didn't care if I was invisible or not."

Sensing that the Spirit of Winter was getting upset Bunny quickly said, "I don't care if you're invisible or not, mate. Now would you help me up?!"

Jack's grin returned, albeit a shade darker than its former self and he reached out his hand again. Bunny didn't say a word about the snow covering his arm but brushed it off as soon as he was standing straight again.

"Can you get me off this ice?" Bunny asked, not willing to move for fear of falling down again. Pookas were not very graceful on ice.

"Sure thing," Jack spread open his arms and almost instantly was lifted off his feet by the North Wind who seemed to be trying to atone for its brother's actions of earlier. Then the Wind picked up Bunny as well and deposited him somewhat gently in a snow bank.

"Thanks," Bunny said shortly after he dusted the snow off, yet again.

"You're welcome," Jack said just as stiffly.

The two stood there for just a moment, silently glaring at each other. The Wind seemed to sense the hostilities between the two Immortals and quickly got between them, its loyalties to Jack clear. It had no problem with harming Bunny if he made any move towards Jack and the Pooka could sense that.

"So," Bunny said at last. "What now?"

"Well that depends," Jack said airily as he twirled his staff in the air. "I assume you're here to drag me off to the North Pole until Sandy gets back." It was a statement; not a question.

Bunny nodded. "Tooth suggested we take turns watching you," he grumbled.

"I'm not a child!" Jack snapped, his eyes darkening and the Wind blowing more harshly.

"I didn't say you were, mate," Bunny said hastily. "Sandy's just worried about you and none of us really want to get on his bad side, that's all."

Jack and the Wind both relaxed, a smile fondly crossing Jack's face. "Ah, Sandy," he sighed. "He worries about me an awful lot," left unsaid was, 'It's nice to have someone worry about me'.

Bunny heard the unspoken thought and felt a little bad. "Tell you what, mate, you come back with me to the North Pole and, as long as you promise not to hurt any of my googlies, I'll let you in my Warren. Deal?"

Jack's face lit up and he gave Bunny a big grin. "Deal," he said and stretched out his hand. "But only if I get to torment North a little bit more."

Bunny considered this, then remembered that the others had made him travel all over Pennsylvania looking for Jack and nodded. "Definitely," he grasped Jack's pale hand and the two shook hands.

A temporary truce had just been made much to the downfall of North…

* * *

A/N: This chapter would have been much better but my laptop wasn't working right and kept deleting the words after I typed them. Check out my profile page for the links to some story art. (Near the absolute bottom of the page). 10 more reviews please and thanks for all the ones yesterday. Happy New Year!'


	15. Finding Jack Frost

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 14: Finding Jack Frost

It was, both Tooth and North discovered, extremely difficult to locate Jack Frost. Currently Tooth was flying over China, her eyes peeled for any bad weather while her fairies took care of Japan. After about two hours of this Tooth was ready to admit defeat. How one small boy could escape her notice was beyond comprehension. Of course if he had been living with Sandy he had no doubt learned a few things about stealth and he was the perfect size to crawl into a hole and not be seen. Idly she wondered if the others were having just as much trouble but was then interrupted by her fairies.

"What's wrong?" she asked urgently.

The fairies responded with a combination of chirps, which when interpreted, resulted as, "There are big snowstorms surrounding the North Pole."

"Jack!" Tooth exclaimed happily, her eyes lighting up as she abruptly changed course and headed back towards the Pole.

* * *

North wasn't having much better luck; Antarctica was completely deserted. There was no sign that Jack Frost had been there (at least no sign that North could see) but it was extremely difficult to tell as it was always snowing at the South Pole. But he kept at it, shouting Jack's name over and over again while knocking apart snow drifts and peering underneath them. But still he found absolutely nothing. He was about to call it quits when suddenly his tummy rumbled.

"What is it?" he asked his belly. "What is bothering you? And what do you mean by 'impending sense of doom'? Nothing can harm us. Well except maybe Pitch Black and Sandy but other than that, nothing."

When his tummy rumbled again North groaned and reluctantly headed back towards his sleigh. Maybe if he returned to the North Pole his tummy would be quiet. But still, even as the sleigh took off into the air, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad was about to happen.

* * *

Upon her arrival at Santoff Clausen Tooth wasted no time but headed straight for the Glove Room where, she was certain, she would find Jack Frost. She flew into the room, intent on greeting Jack with a hug when she stopped short, her eyes wide with horror and a look of shock on her face.

The room was a mess. Jack was flying around at top speed, snow falling behind him as he let out war whoops. He was holding what looked to be a bag of chocolates in one hand while the staff was held in the other. Chocolate stains covered his mouth and he greedily shoved another handful in. Ice covered the floor along with several frozen elves, one of whom had been holding an empty plate that had probably been filled with cookies earlier. Bunny sat comfortably in one of the chairs, laughing his head off as a yeti entered the room only to slide across the ice, crashing into the wall.

Tooth was horrified. Just imagine the damage the chocolate could cause to those beautiful teeth! "Girls," she ordered. "Get the chocolate."

The Baby Tooth Fairies nodded then flew towards Jack, attempting to grab the bag of chocolates from his hand. But Jack only laughed and flew faster, dousing them with a light sprinkling of snow. They shivered and chirped in indignation before following him. Knowing that her babies couldn't handle the job by themselves Tooth entered the battle as well, her large size giving her a definite advantage. Jack glanced behind him to look at her and gave a huge grin. The sight of all those beautiful white teeth with no chocolate smudges was more than enough to send all the Baby Tooth Fairies swooning. Tooth resolved to stay strong but when Jack blinked his baby blue eyes at her she too fell prey to him and swooned.

* * *

It was at this point that North entered, the sight of all the Tooth Fairies lying on the ground, looking extremely peaceful serving only to confuse him. He stopped and blinked then let out a loud shriek when he stepped on the ice. He slid across the slick surface, hitting the large yeti that had just stood back up and knocking the two of them into the wall. Jack just laughed even harder and so did Bunny. North sat up and glared at the large rabbit who just howled even louder.

"E. Aster Bunnymund," North growled. "You have exactly three seconds to explain yourself and get those chocolates away from Jack Frost!"

"And what'll you do to me if I don't?" Bunny asked with a grin.

North just growled and bared his teeth.

"And on that note it's time for me to go," Bunny said quickly, tapping the ground with his foot and disappearing through the tunnel.

"Coward," North grumbled.

Jack just laughed.

* * *

A/N: 10 reviews please and thanks for all the reviews last chapter.


	16. Tooth Pick Up

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 15: Tooth Pick-Up

By the time North's two days were over he was exhausted. As if Jack's first day there hadn't been enough he had, somehow, managed to get his hands on some chocolate and go crazy. The Globe Room was a wreck and two yetis had to be placed in the infirmary for sprained ankles. Fortunately, once the sugar had worn off, Jack had collapsed on a couch and slept for ten straight hours, the snow falling lightly as it covered his thin, pale body. Something in North had melted at the sight of the small, vulnerable looking child and he had gently placed a thin blanket over Jack. But then he had come to himself and wondered why on Earth Manny had had to give the charm of a child to the troublesome winter spirit then realized it was probably to protect him from older, angrier spirits like North and Bunny. Manny had a very wry sense of humor North thought grumpily but left the blanket, a soft smile appearing on his face when Jack snuggled into it more deeply.

* * *

Tooth arrived mere seconds before Jack woke up, her heart also melting at the sight before her. "He's so cute!" she whispered to North.

"He is troublemaker," North grumbled but without any ire.

"But he's still cute," Tooth smiled at the child and pressed a motherly hand to his forehead before yanking it back. "He's freezing," she whispered loudly. "We need to warm him up. Do you have any electric blankets?"

North just looked at her in confusion. "Tooth, boy is winter spirit. He is supposed to be cold."

"But he's even colder than the snow," she argued.

"I'm always this cold," Jack said as he sat up and yawned loudly. A tuft of white hair fell across his forehead and he blinked sleepily up at Tooth, all the childlike innocence in the world radiating from him.

Three of the Baby Tooth Fairies swooned right then and there and even Tooth felt close to doing so as well but valiantly resisted. She was _the_ Tooth Fairy; she had to remain strong and provide a good example for her babies.

"Are you ready to go, Jack?" she asked, trying to make her voice sound as businesslike as possible.

"Do I have to go with you?" Jack whined.

Instantly Tooth felt hurt. If he had whined about going with Bunny she would have understood perfectly. But not wanting to go with her? Not wanting to go to the Tooth Palace and see all the beautiful teeth? She valiantly tried not to cry but suspected she wasn't succeeding if the looks on Jack's and North's faces were anything to go by.

"I'm not trying to be rude," Jack said hastily. "But isn't your Palace in Asia?" at her nod he continued, "Won't it be kind of hot there?"

Instantly Tooth felt guilty for thinking such terrible thoughts. The poor boy just didn't want to burn to death! And that she could understand. "I have a garden that isn't too warm," she offered. "Or you could ice two or three rooms for your stay."

"Okay," Jack smiled widely at her, his teeth showing and that time she did swoon.

* * *

After Tooth and her Baby Tooth Fairies woke up they flew to her beautiful Tooth Palace, Jack easily keeping up with them and providing a running commentary about how many times he had flown past there at night or during the winter.

"If it wasn't so hot I probably would've stopped by sooner," he said. "But I didn't know you then and it would have been rude of me otherwise."

"Consider yourself officially invited over anytime you want," Tooth didn't hesitate to offer.

"You might want to wait to extend that invitation until after you survive me for a couple of days," Jack warned, his blue eyes alight with mischief.

Tooth felt slightly worried then but waved it aside. She was positive that Jack would be on his best behavior because he was, after all, a gentleman. And gentlemen never caused a lady distress on purpose.

"If my fairies bug you too much feel free to frost them a little," Tooth said. "But not too much," she added quickly. "I don't want them to freeze to death."

"I'll try not to," Jack promised then added, in a very serious tone, "thanks for letting me stay with you for a couple of days. To tell the truth I'd be fine on my own but Sandy worries too much."

"He cares a lot about you," Tooth said softly.

* * *

A/N: Sorry this chapter is so late after I got you guys used to getting it at 8 or 9pm but I started back to work again today. I hate going back to work after getting off for a week and a half! Sorry it's so short too but since I made chapter 14? So long I figured you guys would be fine. Thanks for the reviews! 10 more please! Would like to reach 300 this chapter if at all possible! Happy New Year!


	17. Time With Tooth

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 16: Time With Tooth

Once they had arrived at the Tooth Palace, Tooth instantly forgot about the mischievous look in Jack's eyes (something she would later regret) and instead focused on giving him a quick tour.

"The teeth are in that room," she said, pointing towards a door that had the face of a grinning girl and the numbers 1770 written on it.

"What are the numbers for?" Jack asked, lightly trailing his staff over the doorframe.

"That signifies the year," Tooth explained. "All the teeth for the girl children in the year 1770 are in that room."

Jack nodded, pretending that he understood. "And that one?" he pointed his staff towards the door that had the faces of the Guardians emblazoned on it.

"That's where the teeth of the legends are kept," she said softly, her eyes shining brighter than before. "My teeth are in there as are Sandy's, the Groundhog's and even yours, Jack."

"Mine?" Jack looked startled. "But I never lost any teeth. See?" he opened his mouth wide to show her and was instantly attacked by ten miniature Tooth Fairies, all clamoring to see his gorgeous teeth.

"They're from before you were Jack Frost," she said and was confused when he looked even more puzzled as he shooed away her miniature selves.

"But I was never anyone before I was Jack Frost," he said. "I've never been anyone except when I woke up in the lake and the Moon told me that my name was Jack Frost. I've never been anyone else."

Tooth paused mid-flight and turned to look at him. "You really don't remember anything from before?" her voice sounded slightly odd but gentle nonetheless.

Jack shook his head. "The first thing I remember is waking up in the lake."

"Well you were someone else too," Tooth said, silently cursing the Moon. Poor Jack! He had never known anything except for this life but he had had a different one before. She vaguely remembered sending her fairies to collect all of his beautiful, white teeth when he was a child. He had probably turned into Jack Frost not long after losing his last tooth! "I can show you your memories if you like," she offered.

Jack's eyes lit up. "Can you really?" he breathed.

Tooth nodded.

Jack hesitated then slowly shook his head. "No," he said. "I don't need to see my memories. I have a family now and that's good enough for me."

Tooth blinked away sudden tears and smiled warmly at him. "Yes," she said. "You do have a family now. But if you ever change your mind you know where to find me."

* * *

An awkward silence fell between them until Jack abruptly said, "So you mentioned gardens?"

"Oh yes," Tooth brightened. "They're this way, come on."

She turned and flew towards the garden, Jack right behind her as he attempted to navigate his way through the Baby Tooth Fairies. As she flew she idly wondered if Manny had purposefully put Jack Frost in their lives to force them to stop working so hard and relax. If so he was doing a marvelous job and she couldn't wait until Jack went to go and stay with Bunny. It would definitely be interesting to see how the crotchety old rabbit handled a hyperactive teenage Spirit of Winter. But first _she_ had to survive Jack and suddenly wondered if this was Sandy's way of getting revenge for the Christmas Party. If so that was working wonderfully too.

"They're beautiful," Jack breathed, interrupting her thoughts.

"Yes they certainly are," she agreed. "Feel free to freeze the water and trees if you want but please don't break anything."

"Yes, ma'am," Jack gave her a snappy salute and she giggled much like a schoolgirl before turning and heading back indoors.

"Oh if you need anything just tell my babies and they'll get me," she called over her shoulder before closing the door behind her. "Keep a close eye on him," she ordered three of her babies who nodded then flew out of an open window, happy to get to keep a close eye on Jack Frost and his beautiful, white teeth. She wished that she too could stay with the young boy and keep him company but, alas, the teeth of the children called to her and Tooth could not resist their song.

* * *

A/N: Sorry so short once again but couldn't really make it longer. Hope you guys liked the last chapter (thanks for the 300 reviews!). Please review! 10 reviews please! Story art welcome as well as any ideas you guys might have.


	18. Prank on Tooth

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 17: Prank on Tooth

Once he was positive that Tooth was gone Jack turned to the Baby Tooth Fairies and said, "Who wants to help me prank Tooth?"

The Baby Tooth Fairies let out gasps of shock and began chirping. Jack couldn't tell for certain what they were saying but he was pretty sure that it translated to, "What?! Prank our beautiful mother? No way!"

"It's a nice prank," he hastily assured them. "No one will get hurt; I promise."

The little fairies looked at each other hesitantly then consulted each other. One of them, a rather striking beauty with a birthmark under her eye came forward and nodded her little head.

Jack grinned widely and said, "Then let's get started."

* * *

Five hours later Tooth was beginning to get just a little bit worried. She hadn't seen neither hide nor hair of Jack (which wasn't too unusual) but now her fairies were starting to act funny. They were flying around, giggling whenever they saw her; in fact some of them even went out of their way to avoid her! A few of the more timid ones blushed then giggled before flying off in the opposite direction. Normally Tooth couldn't spare too much time thinking about things like this (she did have a lot of teeth to catalogue and money to dole out) but, since they had a guest, she asked a few of the fairies what was wrong. None of them would answer but when she mentioned Jack Frost they all exchanged wide-eyed glances then burst out laughing. Tooth suddenly remembered the mischievous look in Jack's baby blue eyes earlier that day and wondered if he was planning to pull a prank on her. Distantly she hoped not and tried to remember if she had ever done anything to make Jack mad at her. Let's see, she had never thrown him out of the Tooth Palace (not that he would have ever come because it was too hot), she had never neglected to give him a gift (even if was only coal-North really needed to get better at passing out gifts to _all_ of the children), and she had certainly never cursed his name (or the mere idea of winter as Bunny did every Easter). In fact, she hadn't done anything to Jack Frost. But what if he was playing a prank because of the fact that she hadn't done anything? It was expected of all the Guardians to keep tabs on all of the Spirits yet not a one of them had noticed Jack (except for Sandy and she doubted that _he_ ever got pranked).

She was so busy worrying that she didn't even realize she had entered the gardens until the panicked chirping of her Baby Tooth Fairies alerted her to the fact that she was about to run into something. She stopped short just in the nick of time only for her eyes to grow wide and her mouth to drop open as she just hovered there, staring.

Directly in front of her was a life size replica of herself. Every detail (even the feathers on her back) had been captured in ice. The ice replica floated (actually floated!) in the air, its ice wings moving just a little. And all around the big replica were thousands upon thousands of tinier replicas of her Baby Tooth Fairies. It seemed to her as if every single one had been recreated and one glance at the thoroughly exhausted Jack convinced that they all had been.

"Oh, Jack," she whispered. "They're beautiful."

"Was it a nice prank?" Jack asked, raising his head long enough to look at her.

Tooth couldn't speak so she merely nodded, tears forming in her eyes. "It was a wonderful prank," she managed to say at last.

"That's nice," Jack said vaguely then promptly dropped to the ground, the North Wind being careful to set its young charge down as gently as possible.

"Oh!" Tooth immediately flew to the boy. "Are you all right?" she asked worriedly.

"Never better," Jack lied. "Just a little tired. It's difficult to channel my energy like that and not cause a blizzard or something."

"Well I definitely appreciate you _not_ causing a blizzard," Tooth smiled down at him. "Now why don't you get some rest? And I really appreciate the replicas, Jack. I'll always treasure them as a gift from you," impulsively she hugged the small boy, feeling the shock radiating throughout his body before he relaxed.

"Sleep does sound good," he admitted with a loud yawn before falling asleep in her arms.

Tooth was more than a little surprised. After all, usually only her fairies fell asleep on her but she took it in stride. She was, after all, a mother and mothers must get used to their children doing the unexpected at odd times. So she fluttered into the air, pausing to tell the North Wind that she would be very careful with Jack before going inside. It took a few minutes but she finally located the coldest bedroom in the house (which was surprisingly close to her own) and carefully placed Jack on the bed. She put his staff so that it leaned against the nightstand and within arm's length of the bed then pulled a thin sheet over him. Much like Sandy she kissed him on the forehead, ignoring the thin layer of frost that now coated her lips and happily flew out of the room, making her fairies promise to keep an eye on him. Not they needed her to tell them that, they had fallen in love with Jack while posing for his ice replicas (although they had always loved his teeth) and needed no encouragement to stay by his side. So with their reassurances in her ears Tooth went back to the main room and resumed her teeth duties, while silently blessing the Moon for creating Jack Frost.

* * *

A/N: Tooth is a mother and that's all she feels towards Jack. Thanks for all the reviews. 10 more please! And if anyone wants to do a story art of where Tooth is looking at the ice replicas I would really appreciate it. Thanks!


	19. Bunny's Day

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 18: Bunny's Day

The remainder of Jack's time with Tooth passed without incident and the Tooth Fairy found herself inexplicably saddened when the day came to end and Bunny arrived via tunnel to cart Jack away.

"Be careful with him," she pleaded. "He needs lots of ice so let him freeze something. And the North Wind is extremely protective of him and won't hesitate to hurt you if something happens to him." What remained unspoken was: _'And so will I.'_

Bunny nodded impatiently, Easter wasn't all that far away and he had tons of eggs to paint. He didn't really have time to stand here and listen to Tooth fuss about Jack. So, after about half an hour of her little reminders he finally interrupted and said, "Look, Tooth. I'm sure Jack and I will be perfectly fine. If I need you I know how to get in touch with you, okay?"

Tooth hesitated, biting her lower lip before finally nodding. "Okay," she sighed then turned to the young Spirit of Winter who hovered in the air in front of her. "Behave yourself, Jack," she said. "Don't do anything Sandy wouldn't want you to and if you need me don't hesitate to come."

"Sure thing!" Jack grinned at her and, as usual when Jack flashed his pearly white teeth, Tooth and several of her fairies fell down in a faint. "If you want to go now would be the best time," he told Bunny who nodded in agreement.

"Right then, off we go," Bunny tapped the ground with his foot and a tunnel appeared almost instantly. He jumped down it, Jack right behind him and paid no attention when the tunnel closed behind them, leaving only a single pink tulip.

* * *

Once they arrived at the Warren Bunny opened his mouth, ready to recite a list of rules when he suddenly realized that he couldn't find Jack anywhere. Panic spread throughout his body, putting all of his Pooka senses on alert and his paws itched for a boomerang. Telling himself that Jack had probably gotten lost didn't help the situation any as all he could think about now was Jack Frost wandering around the Warrens with no supervision whatsoever. He tried not to shudder at the thought but did when he realized that his poor little googlies were out there, alone, with Jack Frost. At that moment E. Aster Bunnymund was more frightened than he had ever been in his entire life.

* * *

Jack, meanwhile, was having the time of his life. He hadn't _really_ pranked the Tooth Fairy; she, after all, was the only Guardian (besides Sandy of course) that had actually been nice to him and made an effort to get to know him. So he had pretty much left her alone. He and Bunny had made a temporary truce but that had only been so both of them could get back at North. Now that Jack was actually in the Warrens he had no doubt whatsoever that the truce was officially over and that he was now back on probation. Well, lockdown was more like it if Jack thought about it. And he didn't really want to be stuck here for two days. He had tolerated the heat of the Tooth Fairy's Palace because of her and the adorable Baby Tooth Fairies but the Warrens was _way, way_ to hot and he highly doubted that Bunny would appreciate it if he froze any part of his home. So he had slipped away from Bunny in the tunnel and was now searching for one that would take him somewhere that was, preferably, much colder.

"Did you find anything?" he asked the North Wind in a whisper. The Wind replied in the negative, curling up around Jack in apology. "It's okay," he told it. "We'll just have to search harder and faster too. I feel like I'm gonna melt any minute now!"

The Wind grew alarmed at that and instantly began trying to cool the boy off. It still felt a little guilty for how South Wind had acted (even East and West would _never_ do a thing like that) and was trying to make up for it. That and with Sandy gone he was the only person (or thing rather) in Jack's life that cared for the boy although the Tooth Fairy had been surprisingly nice to Jack during their short stay and had even talked to the North Wind on occasion about him. But Bunny didn't like Jack and everybody knew it. Even if he hadn't learned about Jack's existence until a month or two ago he had still hated the winters that he brought and the North Wind had been forced to keep his temper in check, knowing that Jack wouldn't like it if he went and did something…unrepairable. But now he had to put all thoughts of that aside. Jack was getting hot (definitely _not_ a good thing for a winter spirit) and there wasn't much that the Wind could do about that. So he reluctantly left the boy and continued searching for a way out, careful to keep an eye out for Bunny as he did so.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for the reviews last chapter! 10 more please! Story art and ideas welcome! If there's anything that you want to see in this story let me know and I'll try to incorporate it! Thanks again!


	20. The Search For Jack

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 19: The Search for Jack

Bunny was running out of places to look. He had been through almost every inch of his Warren with no luck. The only trace of Jack he had found was a little bit of slush in the tunnel that they had originally started in but otherwise, nothing. He was even beginning to get worried about the young Spirit of Winter! Of course he was also worried about himself too. Suppose Tooth or Sandy heard that he had lost Jack? He really would be a dead Bunny rabbit then. He was just about to give up hope when he felt, rather than heard, the North Wind blow past him. Knowing that it would lead him to Jack he gave chase and the Wind began to go even faster. Realizing that the Wind intended to lead him on a wild goose chase, Bunny leapt forward, landing directly on the Wind's back. The Wind stopped suddenly and Bunny was flung off, hitting a stone wall before sliding to the bottom with a groan. Perhaps this hadn't been his best idea.

* * *

Jack was burning up by now, sweat was rolling down his cheeks and he trembled as he clutched his staff to him more tightly. Where was the North Wind? It never left him alone for this long and especially when he was in this bad of a condition. After a few more minutes of agony Jack decided that he couldn't take it anymore and climbed to his feet. He swayed unsteadily before using his staff as sort of a cane and began walking. Who cared if he ran into Bunny? Somehow he doubted the Easter Bunny could do anything worse to him. He wanted Sandy back. He wanted to be on Sandy's nice golden ship, curled up in bed, snow covering him while Sandy sat on the edge of the bed, weaving the dream sand into pretty pictures that told a story. He wanted his eyes to blink droopily and to eventually fall into slumber, Sandy's kind little face sitting there, telling Jack that he wouldn't be alone anymore…

His thoughts were rather rudely interrupted by the sound of someone saying (rather nervously), "Can't we talk this over, mate? You know, Bunny to Wind?"

Jack's ears perked up and he practically ran, more like hobbled, to the nearby corridor where he saw Bunny backed up against a wall, the North Wind raging in front of him. "Hey!" Jack said sharply. "Leave him alone."

Bunny practically sagged in relief. "Thanks mate," he said gratefully.

"You're just a bully," Jack grumbled. "Stupid Bunny rabbit."

"Hey!" Bunny protested once he realized that Jack had been yelling at _him_ and _not_ the North Wind. "I wasn't doing anything…" his voice trailed off when he got a good look at Jack. The boy was flushed, his skin almost pink which, when it was normally white, wasn't a good thing. Sweat was rolling down his face in waves and he seemed to be swaying. "You all right, mate?" he asked, genuinely worried. Suddenly the Tooth Fairy's words came back to him: _"He needs lots of ice so let him freeze something."_ "It's too bloody hot for you, isn't it mate?" his voice was oddly gentle.

Jack nodded slowly and swayed again.

* * *

Instantly the North Wind was curled around him. He felt so guilty! How could he have been so stupid?! He should have been focusing on Jack; not intent on trying to get revenge on that stupid rabbit. And now, because of him, Jack was going to do of heat stroke. If Sandy didn't kill him out of rage then the Wind would do so out of guilt. He did his best to keep Jack cool; Bunny didn't matter anymore, only finding a cold place was all that mattered now.

* * *

Bunny was frozen in place for a minute then said, "This way." He turned and didn't have to look back to see that Jack was hobbling along, the Wind with him every step of the way. He stopped when he reached a small pond in the center of the Warrens. "This is the coldest place here," he explained.

The Wind sat Jack down gently in the water, making sure to keep his head above the surface. Once in contact with the liquid Jack's powers did the rest, the water instantly freezing, leaving Jack looking like a Popsicle.

If it were any other time Bunny would have made a joke but instead he kept his mouth shut. He mentally went through all of the items in his Warren, trying to see if he had anything else cold but was forced to concede defeat. He was about to suggest a trip to the North Pole (or Burgess-preferably Burgess) when Jack let out a sigh of contentment, his color already returning to normal. Bunny heaved a sigh of relief then scowled at Jack. "Now, we need to talk, mate."

* * *

A/N: Hope you guys liked. Glad you liked the last chapter. Thanks for the reviews. 10 more please! Would love to get 400 but will be happy with 390. Thanks again!


	21. Jack and Bunny Talk

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 20: Jack and Bunny Talk

"Talk about what?" if Jack was nervous he certainly didn't show it, almost relaxing in the pond as he put his hands behind his head and looked up at the much larger animal.

Bunny glared at him. "You not telling me that you needed cold for starters."

Jack snorted. "Bunny, I'm a _winter_ spirit and your Warrens are underneath Australia. That alone should have explained everything to you. But I promise; next time I'll tell you."

Bunny wanted to say that there _wouldn't_ be a next time but was forced to concede that Jack did have a valid point. He really _should_ have thought about that instead of focusing on how to get rid of Tooth. "All right, I'm sorry," Bunny growled.

Jack's eyes flew wide open in amazement and he turned his head around to gape at Bunny. "Huh," he said at last. "If Sandy were here he'd probably faint from astonishment." At the mere mention of the little dreamer Jack's face crumpled and he looked remarkably on the verge of tears. "I want Sandy back," he crossed his arms and stuck out his bottom lip.

All of Bunny's panic came flooding back in a rush. Was Jack fixing to cry? Now?! Suddenly Sandy couldn't get back soon enough. Seeing the first tears leak out of Jack's blue eyes Bunny looked around wildly in an attempt to find something to grab the boy's interest then his own eyes lit up when he spotted something. "Would you like to learn to paint eggs?" he asked quickly.

Jack's tears disappeared and he looked at Bunny hopefully. "Really?" he breathed. "I can paint your eggs?"

"Just a few," Bunny said, already wondering if he was going to regret this. "And no silly designs either."

Jack pouted for a second then cheered up. "Kids love silly designs," he stated even as he began to climb out of the small pond.

"How would you know?" Bunny asked before he could stop himself. "I thought you were invisible."

Jack's smile faded. "Just because they can't see me doesn't mean that I don't spend time with them," he hissed. "I spend all of my free time bringing them snow days and having snowball fights with them. As long as the kids are happy then I am too. Now where are those eggs?"

Bunny could only stand there, dumbfounded. The kids couldn't see Jack but he still went out of his way to make them happy? Suddenly he could see why the Moon had chosen Jack to be an Immortal. He genuinely cared about the children, even when doing so meant hurting himself. He shook himself out of his thoughts when he realized that Jack was still waiting for an answer. "The eggs are this way, mate," he said, his voice oddly gentle as he led Jack through the Warrens.

* * *

To Bunny's everlasting surprise Jack was not only a decent painter he was an _excellent_ one. He was a little clumsy at first but quickly caught the hang of it; even going so far as to point out flaws in Bunny's egg! He didn't do it again. His designs were good though and he had a pretty good grasp of what the kids liked and didn't like. Apparently there was some kind of war going on so they had to be careful of what _color_ they painted the eggs too. Gray and blue were out as well as yellow stripes and the word 'Freedom'. It was all very confusing to Bunny but Jack patiently explained it to him, although some of the details were very…interesting not to mention downright gross especially when Jack started describing some of the battles that he had seen take place. Although that did explain the unusual amount of snowstorms in the southern United States and why a lot of lights had vanished off the Globe at once, scaring North so badly he had summoned them all together thinking that it was Pitch until Sandy had explained that a group of children had been killed by soldiers. They had lit candles for the children then returned to their respective homes. Now, Bunny wondered, how could Jack stay so optimistic and so…childlike after witnessing all of those horrors? The boy was obviously built out of sturdier stuff than he had originally thought. But it wasn't always a bad thing to be wrong; sometimes it was good. Not that he would ever admit that of course but he smiled to himself anyways as Jack launched into an amusing tale about how he had made the poor soldiers wander around the snow for hours, lost beyond hope and mused that maybe Jack Frost was a halfway decent kid after all.

* * *

A/N: Jack is about 114 (he was 14 when the Moon made him). Thanks for all the reviews! I really appreciated it! I'm hoping to reach 500 by the time this story is finished (have no clue when that will be by the way but hopefully not too much longer). And don't worry; Jack will soon be on his own again (for about a chapter or so anyways) and then Sandy will return! Yay! And then…well I have to figure out the end of this story and maybe work in Pitch as well but I warn you; I don't write very good battle scenes! They suck! I am much better at writing fluff (like this story). Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas or suggestions just let me know!


	22. Jack's Day Alone

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 21: Jack's Day Alone

Two days later Jack found himself back in the workshop staring at North who was eyeing him warily. "Tell you what," Jack broke the silence. "Why don't I just go do whatever I want to do and we won't tell the others. Deal?"

North thought about it then nodded. "Deal," he said in relief. Now he could back to working on his presents! Christmas would arrive in less than ten months! He only hoped that he had enough time to get them all done…he was so absorbed in his thinking that he barely noticed when Jack flew out of a window, his mind already working on new toy designs even as he ordered the yetis to switch paint colors (Bunny had already informed him about the war and the colors) and wondered how he was going to paint over three hundred yellow striped doll dresses and fifty dark navy blue tin boxes. Oh well, at least he was finding out now instead of the day before Christmas...

* * *

Jack sighed in relief as he flew out the window. Finally! He could be alone. Not that he didn't like the company but after a hundred years of only having either himself or Sandy as company it was a little unnerving to now be around several people all at the same time, all of whom didn't want to let him out of their sight. Apparently Sandy had given them quite a speech about taking care of him. And while he appreciated the dreamer's concern he still had to get out and fly sometimes. Fly and bring snow to the children! Which reminded him, he needed to go and check on that orphanage in Burgess. Soldiers had steadily been heading that way and he wanted to make sure that the kids were all right. Thinking about how surprised Bunny had been to see that he actually cared about the kids caused Jack to roll his eyes in amusement. Now he could appreciate Sandy's stories (or rather, reenactments) of his meetings with the Guardians with a lot more humor. Although he would like to see Bunny try some chocolate. As long as he wasn't the target that is.

* * *

As he neared Burgess Jack felt himself relaxing more and more. He had always had a soft spot for Burgess but, considering that was where he had 'woken up', figured it was normal. Well that had been Sandy's opinion anyways when he had asked him. Just thinking about the little man caused the snow to start falling harder so Jack decided that he should probably start thinking about something else. Like snowball fights or maybe a….massacre?!

Jack drew up rather abruptly and stared in horror at the sight below him. The orphanage was gone, a smoldering wreck even as the last flames of the fire flickered weakly. Lying in the snow directly in front of the building were several figures, one of whom Jack recognized as the woman in charge of the orphanage, the others, no doubt, the children that had been under her care. A group of soldiers gathered around them, laughing while one of their companions shot the last child. Jack felt a cold Fury begin to rise up in his chest. He didn't care what the colors of the uniforms were; he didn't notice the guns in their hands or the alcohol on their breaths. All he could think about, all he could _see_ were the small crumpled bodies lying there, blood staining the pure white snow beneath them.

He lifted his voice and let out a loud wail of grief, the weather responding to his emotions. Storm clouds rolled in, obliterating the sunlight and casting them into darkness. Snow began to fall, softly at first then stronger until the soldiers couldn't see in front of their faces anymore. They finally began to notice something was wrong when they realized that they couldn't feel their fingers anymore. Jack had no intentions of stopping until he heard soft crying. One of the children was alive! Quickly he located the small boy who looked to be about six or seven and did something that was very dangerous for both of them. He created a bubble. Now Jack's powers were very difficult to control in the best of times but when he was emotionally stressed and suddenly discovered that he needed to focus them away from something? Not so easy. Jack could feel the strain in his muscles as he attempted to keep the bubble around the boy, shielding him from the worst of the snow whilst simultaneously burying the dead children (plus their deceased caretaker) and the soldiers. If Sandy had been there he would have already had the little First Aid room on his ship (it been created after Jack accidentally smacked into a tree headfirst at full speed) prepped and would have been standing by to catch Jack as he fell from the sky. But no one was there. No one that could see Jack that is. When the storm stopped the boy simply kept crying his eyes out while Jack fainted from over exertion and passed out, landing in a nearby snowdrift.

* * *

A/N: Hope you liked. Oh and the boy's name is (drumroll please)…Nathan Bennett! Thanks for all the reviews! 10 more please! Thanks and keep reading!  
A/N/N: Would highly recommend reading 'Thawing of Frost' by Trollsmond. It is an awesome AU of how Jack was the _first_ Spirit that MiM created! Really good! Please read!


	23. Back at the North Pole

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 22: Back at the North Pole

Ironically enough it was Bunny who found Jack. He had been meandering through his tunnels when a sudden chill had swept through, causing him to shiver. Deciding to see what Jack was up to he had popped his head out just in time to see Jack fall out of the sky. Resolving to kill the younger spirit Bunny had bounded out and grabbed Jack before disappearing into the ground again. His next stop had been the North Pole, much to North's dismay who really didn't like it when Bunny popped in unexpectedly (especially with an injured Jack Frost) and liked it even less when Jack's nose started bleeding, resulting in a nice little pile of blood on his freshly cleaned floor.

"What happened?" North demanded.

"No bloody idea, mate," Bunny answered. "I was running through my tunnels and it got really cold so…"

"Never mind," North interrupted with a sigh. "Take him to infirmary. Phil! We need yeti medics! Jack Frost is hurt again!"

Phil appeared and let out a long string of yetish complete with disapproving looks.

"Reindeer did not do it this time," North said firmly.

More yetish.

"Bunny does not know who did it," North sighed. "And no I am not waking up Sandy! He needs sleep and we want to live."

"Please don't wake him up," Bunny begged then something occurred to him. "Do I need to go and tell Tooth? She's pretty taken with the little blighter and will probably be a little upset if we don't tell her."

"Good point," North admitted. "You tell her; I need to make toys."

Bunny stared at North before sputtering in indignation. "Easter is in a month! I need to be painting my eggs; not running errands so you can make toys for a holiday that won't even come for another ten months!"

North smiled and patted him on the shoulder indulgently. "Silly Bunny," he said. "Christmas is more important. Children will not mind missing one Easter; they will not even notice because they will be thinking about Christmas!"

Bunny growled and put up his fists. "Say it again," he threatened. "Come on; I dare ya to say it again."

"Don't get angry, Bunny. Is only truth. Children love Christmas; they like Easter. Is fact. Ask anybody," North sounded only slightly condescending as he said this.

Phil the yeti rolled his eyes and before they could say anything else grabbed each of them by the neck and banged their heads together. Hard. While the two Guardians rubbed their foreheads and counted the stars in front of their eyes Phil let out some more yetish then crossed his arms and stood back, looking satisfied.

Instantly North forgot about his aching head and exclaimed, "What do you mean Sandy is on way back?"

"Sandy's on his way back?!" Bunny yelped, all thoughts of Easter disappearing faster than candy in front of an eight-year-old. "He's supposed to be sleeping! Not coming back here! Does he know Jack's hurt? Suppose he finds out? He's going to kill…you," he said slowly as he turned to face North. "Jack was supposed to be with _you;_ not running around the country by himself! So it would appear that I'm in the clear," he smiled broadly.

"How did Jack handle Warrens without freezing them?" North asked then smiled triumphantly as Bunny's face fell.

"We're both dead," the Easter Bunny moaned. "Now Easter will never come and neither will Christmas."

"We must heal Jack now," North proclaimed. "Before Sandy returns."

"And lock the windows this time," Bunny added. "We don't want a repeat of his little performance the last time he was injured. Why do we always seem to be either healing him or chasing him?" he sighed heavily. "Why did Manny have to create him in the first place?"

"Perhaps to pay us back for something we did?" North suggested. "Maybe we accidentally make Manny mad and this is how he punishes us."

"Well I've got to hand it to him; it's bloody well working," Bunny grumbled. "I'm telling you; after this Easter I'm burying myself in my Warrens and never coming out again. Ever."

North raised an eyebrow. "Not even for Easter?" he asked.

Bunny shook his head. "Nope," he said. "Never again. I'm going to blockade all the entrances so nobody can get in or out. Then me and my googlies will stay there where it's nice and warm and no one can get in. Especially Jack and Sandy. But especially Sandy."

Phil rolled his eyes and banged their heads together again. Then he said something that (roughly translated) meant, "Stop fooling around and fix Jack Frost!"

"Sure thing, Phil," North groaned. "As soon as I regain consciousness that is." And with that both he and Bunny fell over in a dead faint.

Phil groaned then grabbed both of them and dragged them in the direction of the infirmary where Jack Frost was already resting in a comfortable bed.

* * *

A/N: Glad you guys liked the last chapter. Thanks for all the reviews! 10 more please! Sandy will be back next chapter; I promise. Oh and the boy was discovered by the townspeople so he didn't freeze to death. Review and thanks!


	24. Invasion of the Tooth Palace

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 23: Invasion of the Tooth Palace

When Sandy woke up the first thing he noticed was that he felt great. The second thing he noticed was that Jack was sleeping. As the Guardian of Dreams Sandy knew who was sleeping and who was not and the fact that Jack was sleeping puzzled him very much. Jack was basically a child; he had great amounts of energy that seemed to come from nowhere and disappeared just as quickly, albeit usually at the end of the day not in the middle of it and certainly not at the North Pole! Which meant…something had probably happened to him and Sandy was determined to find out what. North probably knew and he was probably shaking in his boots right now, considering the fact that it was almost time for Sandy to wake up. The dreamer smiled and it was an evil smile, one that villains such as Pitch Black usually used while delivering their triumphant speech, not Guardians. But Sandy didn't care about that; all he cared about was making sure that his young charge was still alive and in one piece. And he better not be unconscious or so help whoever stood in his way…

* * *

Tooth had been in the middle of sending three fairies to China to retrieve two molars and a bicuspid when a portal appeared in her main hall and a yeti walked out. The Tooth Palace had instantly been thrown into chaos, the Baby Tooth Fairies began flying every which way in a desperate attempt to distract the intruder and lead him away from the precious teeth. Tooth had shouted at them in vain that the yeti wasn't a threat but they didn't care; instead several of them flew in front of her, pointed noses at the ready to defend their beloved mother while others retrieved Tooth's swords and somehow managed to fly them to her. Tooth had been touched but still kept trying to convince them that the yeti wasn't here to steal the teeth.

"But why else would he be here?" the little fairies asked her in confusion.

Tooth opened her mouth to answer then frowned when she realized that she didn't know. "Why are you here?" she demanded, flying through five walls of fairies to reach the large, hairy intruder.

The yeti answered but Tooth groaned when she remembered that she didn't speak yetish. Fortunately the yeti caught on to her dilemma and looked around, frowning, as he searched for something that could help convey his message. His eyes lit up when he spotted a piece of wood lying on the ground that was shaped somewhat like Jack's staff. He grabbed the wood and then a fairy causing the others to become even more alarmed and for Tooth herself to straighten, her delicate hand tightening on her sword. The fairy that had been grabbed looked around in terror then promptly passed out. The yeti smiled in satisfaction then held both the fairy and the wood out to Tooth who eagerly took both of them. She frowned at the wood then at the unconscious fairy then her eyes lit up.

"Jack Frost is unconscious?" she guessed.

The yeti nodded, grinning (at least she _assumed_ that's what he was doing) and clapped his huge hands together for emphasis.

The fairies quickly forgot about their fallen comrade and gathered around Tooth, buzzing as they demanded to know more about their newfound friend.

"Quiet," Tooth held up both hands then passed the newly awakened fairy to two others. "I'm heading to the North Pole right now to see Jack. The moment I find out how he's doing I promise to let you know. Okay?"

The Baby Tooth Fairies looked at each other and held a quick consultation then turned back to Tooth and nodded their assent.

Tooth smiled at them then turned to the yeti. "Can you take us back through your portal?" she asked.

The yeti nodded and let out a long string of yetish even as he threw a snow globe at her wall. It shattered and he looked at for a long moment then let out a frightened wail.

The fairies covered their delicate ears and pleaded with Tooth to do something. She groaned and rolled her eyes before flying off to the North Pole, promising to send someone to bring the yeti through after she had found out how Jack was.

* * *

Once she was gone the yeti and the fairies looked at each other warily. The fairies were the first to move; the yeti looked sad after all and they didn't like for anyone to look sad while in their kingdom. Perhaps if they showed him the beautiful teeth he wouldn't be so sad anymore! It was definitely worth a shot they agreed after another brief consultation and flew towards the rooms with the teeth, a few of them tugging at his fur until he followed, still letting out the wails of grief.

* * *

A/N: Next chapter; more Sandy. I promise! Okay and yes I do intend on linking this to the movie. Those of you who have watched the movie obviously remember these very important facts:

Tooth has never met Jack

Jack doesn't know about his teeth/that he used to be someone else

Jack obviously doesn't live with Sandy in a big ship

Jack has never seen the North Pole

Bunny hasn't seen Jack since 1968 (if he's still living with Sandy then they would have already been forced to apologize)

So when I do link the story with the movie I will have to end the story in such a way that all of the above facts can become true. Which means (tissues ready?) the ending will have to be sad. Kudos to anyone who can figure what the ending will be! Thanks for all the reviews; 10 more please!


	25. Sandy's POV

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 24: Sandy's POV

By the time Sandy reached the North Pole he was in full Panic Mode, something he seemed to find himself a lot in after taking in Jack. What had alarmed him even more than Jack being asleep in the middle of the day was the storm, or rather lack of, brewing around Santoff Clausen. Even in his sleep Jack could control the weather which was another reason Sandy made sure to give Jack good dreams; if Jack had a bad dream then Sandy was likely to wake up to a ship full of snow (he had done this on three separate occasions) but if Jack had a good dream then Sandy was more likely to wake up to a very light smattering of snow on him and the floor. He much preferred the good dreams as he did not really enjoy waking up to discover that everything was cold, white powder instead of the light golden sand it was supposed to be. Needless to say he and Jack had had a long 'talk' about that and both of them had agreed to do their part. Jack would work on controlling his powers (with Sandy's help of course) and Sandy would try extra hard to send him good dreams and not make him feel so lonely. It was the last part of this conversation which had led to Sandy bringing Jack to North's Christmas party; a fact which he was now wondering if he had done the right thing or not by introducing Jack to the Guardians. Sure he had now knew more people; he was sure that Tooth and her fairies just adored the boy and doted on him whenever they had the chance but it also meant that he was open to more rejection. Neither North nor Bunny had time for or wanted anything to do with, a young, hyperactive immortal teenager with the ability to control snow. Especially Bunny who had, many times before, been caught by Sandy cursing the snow outright (Sandy had proceeded to hit him in the face with a snowball until Bunny shut up) and even North complained about the snowstorms and cold weather. It was so hot in Asia that Jack never went there and so Tooth didn't have to worry about little things like snow or icicles (although Sandy strongly suspected that that would soon change). All in all there were a lot of pros and cons to bringing Jack into the lives of these four secluded individuals. None of them (Sandy included) really had time to deal with Jack; to show him how to control his powers or just to spend a couple of hours laughing and playing in the snow. But only Sandy knew just how much that hurt the boy; it was bad enough that the human children couldn't see him but for his own kind to basically ignore him? That was even worse which was why Sandy had taken him in. He had seen first-hand (they had _all _seen) what happened when a spirit was ignored for so long by everyone including the other spirits. Jack Frost was just another Pitch Black waiting to happen and there was no way that Sandy was going to let that happen on his watch. No way whatsoever; which was one reason why he was (once again) heading for the North Pole at top speed, fearful of what he might find on the other end. He prayed that Jack was all right; merely tired out from having so much fun with Bunny and not injured like Sandy feared or, even worse, on the brink of death. But somehow he doubted that everything was all right and briefly wondered just how much damage control he would have to do that day and whether or not he would need another nap.

* * *

A/N: Would it make you guys happier if I gave you _two_ endings? My real ending and an alternate (happier) ending? If so let me know and I'll write you two endings and post the real one with this story and the alternate ending by itself. Just let me know!

A/N/N: I wrote this chapter to mostly set the scene for the next (Pitch Black should make an appearance in about two chapters or so) and then we can finally get the sad and weepy part over with (I know I've already been crying over the ending and I haven't even written it yet!). Sorry this chapter's so late but it's been a long day and I have to work all day tomorrow so it's going to be even longer! But on Sunday I get to go see 'Rise of the Guardians' again! Yay me! They sent me free tickets Thursday to go see it so I'm (hopefully) taking my little sister to see it Sunday afternoon. Can't wait to see Jack Frost again!

A/N/N/N: Sorry it's so short. Thanks for all the reviews. 500 please! Thanks!


	26. Sandy's Arrival

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 25: Sandy's Arrival

By the time Sandy had arrived he had worked himself in a near frenzy and was no mood to pay any attention to the yetis that valiantly tried to intercept him before Phil put an end to that and allowed Sandy free passage all the way to the infirmary. Sandy's mood was definitely not helped when he saw Bunny and North guarding the infirmary door, holding ice packs to their heads as they argued.

"I say we make a run for it," Bunny stated.

"Never!" North declared. "I am Russian warrior; I do not run from things."

Bunny gave him an incredulous look and said, "What about Sandy on the warpath?"

North opened his mouth to respond then closed it again and scowled. "But Sandy is not here yet," he said. "Which means we still have time to fix Jack before he arrives."

Sandy's heart (he still wasn't sure if he had one yet) skipped a beat and he hastily formed two giant sand fists and grabbed the two bigger Guardians by the scruff of their necks and dangled them in the air.

"Oh, hi, Sandy," North said weakly, already several shades paler. Even Bunny was being docile and not trying to escape. They obviously knew it would do them no good to resist as resistance was futile.

Sandy was very careful to make his words both slow and deliberate. 'What happened to Jack?'

"To be perfectly honest we're still not sure, mate," Bunny, surprisingly, answered first. "I found him lying unconscious in a snow drift. Come to think of it there was a pretty big blizzard raging though," he added thoughtfully.

Sandy could already feel himself relaxing. A blizzard. That would certainly explain not only Jack's fatigue but why there was no snow falling. Something occurred to him however and he shook the two Guardians roughly. 'Did you see anything in the snow?'

Bunny looked confused then slowly nodded. "I remember seeing a lot of bodies," (Sandy had to stifle a groan-he really needed to have another talk with Jack about the value of human life), "most of 'em had on uniforms on some sort and there were some kids too. I know cuz I heard one of 'em screaming 'is bloody 'ead off till some grown-ups came and told 'im to stop cryin'."

Sandy frowned, considering. Uniforms. That could indicate soldiers which could also mean that there had been yet another massacre. That would definitely explain Jack's little outburst although they really needed to talk about that as well. After looking at the two obviously terrified Guardians dangling in the air Sandy decided that that had suffered enough (for now) and unceremoniously dropped them on the floor.

After untangling himself from Bunny North managed to stand up and said, "He's in here," (rather unnecessarily of course) and pushed the door open.

Once inside Sandy's heart skipped another beat. Jack lay on the bed, looking so incredibly small and vulnerable, not even taking up one percent of the yeti-sized bed. His staff was gripped tightly in one fist while the other was pressed against his stomach. The coat that Sandy had given him a couple of years ago hung limply on his slender frame, reaching almost to the end of his too short brown pants. His pale bare feet looked too large for his body even though he was curled up into a ball. Hesitantly Sandy moved forward, almost fearful of what he might find.

Fortunately North seemed to sense what was bothering him and said, in a very soft tone of voice, "His vitals are stable. The yetis tell me he is merely unconscious but should be all right."

Preferring to make his own judgments Sandy felt Jack's forehead, relief sweeping through at the icy touch. Next he sprinkled dream sand above Jack's head and was forced to admit that Jack was, indeed, alive after brief images of himself and Jack appeared then disappeared. North's statement had been confirmed; Jack was merely in a healing sleep. He would be all right and he would hopefully wake up soon and explain himself.

"Little blighter's tougher than 'e looks," Bunny commented, his arms crossed as he leaned against the doorway. "Well unless 'e's surrounded by heat…" his voice trailed off when he realized that Sandy was now in his face, an eyebrow raised as he waited for Bunny to explain himself.

North wisely decided that now would be a good time to leave and tried to sneak out the door but Bunny grabbed him by the arm.

"You aren't going anywhere, mate. If I'm gonna get it from Sandy then might as well stay and explain why Jack wasn't 'ere in the first place, mate."

North glared at the Australian and Sandy glared at both of them. There was an awful lot of explaining that needed to be done. Just then the door flew open, knocking North off his feet and Tooth entered. "Sorry I'm late," she said hurriedly. "Did I miss anything?"

* * *

A/N: Hope you guys like. Yes both endings will be written. I'll post the alternate ending after I finish the story (just to avoid confusion). Thanks for all the reviews. 10 more please. Thanks!


	27. Catching Up Tooth

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 26: Catching Up Tooth

"Sandy!" Tooth squealed upon seeing the little dreamer and promptly caught him in a giant hug, forcing him to relinquish his hold on Bunny who quickly hopped a short distance away. "You're finally awake!" she enthused. "Is Jack all right? I was so worried about him on the way here I couldn't even think about the teeth! And even my Baby Tooth Fairies didn't want to go teeth-hunting because they wanted to come see Jack and it took me forever to calm them down…oh and North? One of your yetis is stuck at my Palace and he was crying when I left so you might want to send someone after him."

North groaned and buried his face in his hands. "I tell him to take two magic snow globes but he only takes one magic snow globe and now he's trapped there! Stupid yetis! Always breaking something or getting lost. They are so much trouble!"

"But not any more trouble than the elves or Jack right?" Bunny asked then cowered when Sandy resumed glaring at him with even more venom than before.

"Definitely not as much trouble as Jack," North agreed then hastily backtracked after Sandy whirled on him. "But elves are still more trouble than him."

"Not by much," Bunny muttered then fell silent in hopes that Sandy wouldn't notice him.

"So is he all right?" Tooth asked again worriedly.

Sandy blinked at her then beamed a bright, beautiful smile at her as he entwined his arm with hers and opened the door for her. Tooth blushed and giggled before flying into the room, a very happy Sandy by her side.

Bunny blinked in astonishment. "Hey that's not fair," he protested. "We put up with that little brat on his worst behavior and what do we get? Yelled at and threatened with death. It's not fair I tell you."

"I agree," North sighed. "But I do not wish to question Sandy in present mood. More likely to kill us."

Bunny thought about that then agreed before following the others into Jack's room. North stayed behind long enough to order Phil the yeti to go and fetch the yeti at the Tooth Palace before entering the infirmary as well.

The second she saw Jack in the bed Tooth instantly began panicking and started trying to take Jack's temperature. After she had determined that his temperature was exactly 0* she began throwing heavy blankets on top of him in an effort to warm him up. At this point Sandy had been forced to take her gently by the hands and explain (as best he could anyway) that Jack was a wi_nter_ spirit and needed to be cold. The colder the better actually and had made her help him take off the blankets. The yetis hadn't been too thrilled about that because they had become frosted over and were now melting all over the floor and their fur. Bunny didn't like the freezing cold water in his fur any better but didn't figure that now was a good time to start complaining about Jack's powers.

"Is he ever going to wake up?" Tooth asked anxiously, trying to recheck Jack's temperature.

Sandy took the thermometer away from her with an annoyed look and said, 'Yes. Jack will be fine. I once saw him hit a tree head-on while flying ninety miles an hour and all he had was a slight concussion and some very blurry vision. I'm positive that he'll be fine. Right, North?'

"Uh," North turned and quickly consulted with the yetis before saying, "Jack will be good as new in a day or so."

A groan came from the bed.

"I think it might be sooner than that, mate," Bunny said nervously as he backed up and began scratching his ears with his enormous feet.

"Jack?" Tooth asked uncertainly even as she hovered over the bed.

Sandy sighed and rolled his eyes before going to sit on the bed next to Jack.

When Jack opened his eyes two minutes later the first thing he saw was Sandy sitting on the bed next to him. "Hi, Sandy," he grinned weakly. "Long time no see."

* * *

A/N: Sorry it's short. Glad you guys liked the last chapter. Thanks for all the reviews. 10 more please!


	28. Meeting Pitch Black

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 27: Meeting Pitch Black

When Jack woke up his first thought was; _it's hot_ and his second, _Sandy's back._ Somehow he managed to sit up and say hello to Sandy before falling forward. Instantly, Sandy gently pushed little hands made out of sand against Jack's delicate chest in an effort to keep him from falling flat on his face. At the moment Jack was so relieved to see Sandy again that he enveloped the dreamer in a great big hug, Frost spreading across Sandy's back. Sandy looked momentarily startled then returned the hug with equal vigor, sand swirling in the air around the two of them.

"Aww…" Tooth smiled as she pressed two folded hands against the side of her face.

"What're you going on about?" Bunny demanded. "They're just two friends huggin' each other; it's not like they're father and son."

At that Jack and Sandy froze; the latter literally freezing as Jack's powers swirled out of control. Jack wiggled out of Sandy's embrace, looking as if someone had just slapped him.

"I'm sorry, mate," Bunny apologized. "I didn't mean anything by it."

Jack just ignored him and flew out the open window, the snow falling more heavily as he vanished into the swirling white vortex.

"Bunny!" Tooth scolded, whirling on her friend.

"I said I was sorry!" Bunny protested, already backing up into a corner.

Sandy didn't write anything but merely floated until he was directly in Bunny's face then, slugged the rabbit for all he was worth. Bunny groaned and slid down the wall in a heap.

"Good one, Sandy!" Tooth cheered, giving her much smaller friend a high five.

"Now to find Jack," North sighed. "Again. And again it is your fault, Bunny."

"It's not my fault," Bunny protested, hopping after North as they began walking down the hall. "I told the ankle biter I was sorry but he didn't listen to me. Ow!" he rubbed the back of his head and turned to glare at Sandy who just smiled at him innocently. "I said I was sorry," he grumbled then hopped even faster.

* * *

Jack didn't pay any attention to where he was going; he was simply too upset. Bunny was right; he and Sandy weren't family, they were just…friends. So what if Sandy was the closest thing that Jack had ever had to a father? So what if Sandy had taken him in and raised him? They were just friends. He blinked away the tears that had threatened to spill then let out a shriek as he just barely managed to avoid hitting the dark shape that had appeared out of nowhere. He growled as he sat up in the snow, he hated doing that.

"So this is Sanderson's little ward? Not sure why I expected someone…older and stronger not to mention with more control over their powers. But it's just like Sanderson to take in a stray," the last words were whispered in Jack's ear.

"I'm not a stray!" Jack yelled. "And who are you anyways?"

"Sanderson didn't tell you?" the voice sounded disappointed. "But I guess I shouldn't really be surprised considering how well we've always gotten along in the past. I'm The Boogeyman but you can call me…Pitch Black."

Jack's eyes widened as he quickly remembered all of the stories that Sandy had told him over the years about Pitch Black. The way he had tried to destroy all of the Guardians (but especially Sandy) and the children. He had taken Sandy's dream sand and manipulated it, attempting to take away all the good dreams in the world. That didn't fly with Jack who knew from first-hand experience just how important good dreams could be to a child. "I've heard of you," he said stiffly, his grip on the staff tightening. "And I didn't like what I heard."

"Curious," Pitch said. "Because I've heard of you as well and I liked what I heard."

At that Jack let out a battle cry and charged Pitch Black.

* * *

A/N: So sorry that these past couple of chapters have been short and so late but my muse re-discovered Young Justice last night and insisted that we re-watch all the episodes with Captain Marvel in them. So, keep your eye out for a couple of stories about Earth's Mightiest Mortal! Thanks for all the reviews. Will try to do better, I promise. 10 more reviews please!


	29. Looking For Jack Again

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 28: Looking For Jack Again

To say that Sandy was not happy would have been the understatement of the century. He spent several minutes glaring at Bunny so hard the Spirit of Hope feared that his head would burst into flames before they even left the North Pole. Tooth kept sending Bunny dirty looks as well and even a few elves had stuck their tongues out at him. Honestly! Had the entire world gone crazy for Jack Frost while Bunny wasn't looking? It was a conspiracy, of that he was sure. All that remained was for North and Pitch Black to start fawning over the kid too. Speaking of which…

Bunny sniffed the ground in front of him then frowned. After leaving the North Pole they had all split up and so he frowned, wondering how he was going to word to them that he had found Jack Frost's trail. Oh well, he shrugged. Maybe if he brought the brat back to Sandy in one piece Bunny could have a chance of survival. Maybe…

* * *

Tooth didn't bother hiding the fact that she was worried as she flew through Asia. The likelihood of Jack being there was slim she knew but she had to try.

"Did you find anything?" she asked her Baby Tooth Fairies worriedly.

They shook their little heads and communicate to her how worried they were about Jack and his teeth.

"We'll find him," she assured them. "We'll find him and his beautiful teeth."

They all brightened at the thought of seeing his teeth again and continued their search with renewed vigor.

* * *

"Why are you in sleigh?" North asked.

The elves didn't reply but merely shook their bells and licked a few extra cookies they had snuck onboard.

North sighed heavily. He really, really hoped that they found Jack soon. He was getting tired of searching for the wayward Spirit of Winter and resolved to place a tracking device under his skin upon finding him. As long as he could keep it a secret from Sandy that is. Somehow he didn't think Sandy would appreciate putting a tracking device on Jack. Then again, he might if this turned out to be an everyday occurrence.

* * *

Sandy was also tired of looking of Jack but he had more reasons than the others. He had spent fifty years with the boy, doing his best to teach him right from wrong, lessons which, more often than not, ended with a very upset and confused Jack who, many times before, often ran away to avoid discussing anything. So Sandy was definitely an expert when it came to tracking down Jack and also bored of it. Jack knew how much it irritated Sandy and tried to avoid doing it unless he was seriously upset but the others didn't know Jack's limits like Sandy did. No doubt they had pressed some buttons that were not meant to be pressed and then wondered why Jack ran off the way that he did. Sandy wasn't really surprised to hear that Jack had been giving the slip the entire time he was gone and would have been disappointed if he hadn't. But all that mattered now was finding Jack and explaining to him that everything was going to be all right before taking his son…

Sandy froze, his dream sand airplane stopping midflight before resuming its flight pattern. His son. Jack was his son. Jack Frost might not be his biological son but in every other way he was. He had been created by the Man in the Moon but then abandoned, left alone until Sandy had discovered him that day at the frozen lake sobbing his eyes out. Ever since then Sandy had done everything that normal fathers do with their children. He had taken care of Jack, made sure he had a roof over his head and food on the table plus the occasional new coat to replace the old one that had become worn-out. Once he had found Jack and reassured him of his love he was going to kill Bunny. Very, very slowly.

* * *

Jack lay in the snow, weakly coughing up blood. His short lived battle against Pitch hadn't gone as planned, the villain anticipating all of his moves before Jack himself knew what he was going to be doing. It hadn't taken much for Pitch to shove an arrow made out of black sand through his chest before leaving, maniacal laughter ringing in his ears. His chest hurt and so did everything else. He wanted Sandy. Sandy would make the pain go away, he would weave pretty dolphins for Jack to fall asleep to and when he woke up everything would be perfect again. He coughed again, nearly choking to death this time. He wanted Sandy. "Dad," he whispered before falling into unconsciousness once more…

* * *

A/N: I know there wasn't really much of a battle scene but (as I have said before) I really can't write battle scenes. Therefore, instead of writing a lousy scene and disappointing you guys, I decided to be smart and just skip it all together. Only a few chapters left! Thanks for all the reviews last time. 10 more please! Thanks!


	30. The Northern Lights

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 29: The Northern Lights

Bunny knew he was done for when he finally found Jack. The kid was lying in a snow bank (nothing unusual there) surrounded by a pool of blood and…black sand. "Pitch," Bunny whispered harshly then sped up until he was by Jack's side. "Hey, kid, you all right?" he asked then mentally slapped himself. Of course Jack wasn't all right and neither was Bunny if he didn't get Jack back to the North Pole and fast! He gently picked the boy up, ignoring the blood that was now coating his fur and tapped the ground before jumping into the tunnel and taking off at maximum speed.

* * *

The yetis weren't thrilled when Bunny re-entered with a bloody Jack Frost. Again. Phil glared at Bunny and said something in yetish before taking Jack to the infirmary. Wondering how he was supposed to get the other Guardians' attention Bunny looked around the Globe Room then smirked when his eyes fell on the control for the Northern Lights. Time to call a meeting.

* * *

When North saw the Northern lights his first thought was that the elves had turned it on again. His second was that maybe someone had found Jack! It was this thought that led to him turning the sleigh around and heading through a new portal back to the North Pole.

* * *

Tooth's fairies spotted the Lights first and quickly got her attention. "The Lights are on?" she gasped. "Maybe somebody found Jack! Either that or the elves did it again," she added. That hadn't been fun dropping everything in sight and startling poor North when they had all burst in only to discover that the elves were responsible. Although the look on North's face had been priceless. "Quick, girls," she ordered. "Let's go."

* * *

He was so busy looking for any sign of Jack that Sandy almost didn't see the Northern Lights, glancing up just in time to see them before they disappeared. He turned his little plane around, vowing to kill the elves if they had accidentally activated it again. Although he highly doubted it seeing as North had banned them from all sweets for an entire month. It would have been longer but the yetis had gone on strike after the elves started trying to chew their legs off.

Sandy shook his head and pushed everything from his mind. Everything that is, except for Jack. Jack was his only priority right now and would be for the next year or so, he decided. From now on his work as a Guardian would come second only to his work as a father. With that thought in mind he gave the plane more sand and hurried his approach. The North Wind actually helped, picking up Sandy's little plane and hurrying it along. Sandy was surprised but thanked the Wind as best he could. They had had an understanding ever since Jack came along and the Wind seemed to tolerate Sandy a little better but this was the first time he had actually helped Sandy out. Of course, with Jack possibly in danger there was no time for dilly-dallying.

* * *

North was the first to arrive back, stalking into the Globe Room ready to yell at the first unfortunate creature that he saw when he caught sight of the new trail of blood leading to the infirmary. He let out a loud groan and sank into a nearby chair. "What happen now?" he demanded.

"I'm saving that announcement til Tooth and Sandy get here," Bunny replied.

"Why?" North wanted to know.

"Because I doubt I can make it through telling it one time let alone twice," Bunny answered.

North considered for a moment then nodded. "Makes sense," he agreed. "Bring hot chocolate!" he ordered a passing yeti who nodded and headed towards the kitchen.

"What's going on?" Tooth demanded as she and three of her Baby Tooth Fairies flew in. "And where's Jack?"

"Hold on," Bunny held up both of his paws. "All of your questions will be answered as soon as Sandy arrives."

Just then Sandy entered, looking very cross and worried. 'What's going on?!' he demanded. 'And where's Jack?'

"The ankle biter's in the infirmary," Bunny answered but grabbed Sandy before he could take off. "There's something else you need to know first, mate. Pitch attacked him; the poor lad was almost dead when I found him."

North and Tooth both gasped in shock while the yeti dropped the steaming cups of hot chocolate on his foot. "Pitch?" Tooth's voice shook ever so slightly. "He hurt our Jack?"

Bunny nodded somberly. "I'm afraid so."

After deciding that he had heard more than enough Sandy headed straight for the infirmary. He had to check and see that his son was in there. As long as he was still alive there was always hope. Right? Upon throwing open the door Sandy froze in the doorway, unable to move. Jack looked even worse than he had earlier that day. Blood stained the floor, the bed and the yetis while black sand covered the wound. Sandy swallowed heard then moved to Jack's side, ignoring the yetis that tried in vain to cover up the wound. He placed a hand on the pale forehead, alarmed to find to find it clammy and covered in sweat. Blood covered Jack's lips, contrasting them greatly against the paleness of his face.

"Sandy," North's voice came from the doorway. "Man in Moon wishes to speak."

At that Sandy looked up. So the Man in the Moon finally wanted to talk to Jack after all these years? All right, he could talk but he had better have a way to make Jack better. After sprinkling a little dream sand over Jack's head Sandy followed his friends to the Globe Room.

* * *

A/N: Cliffie again, I know. The next chapter will (I promise) have the part where it ties in with the movie. After that and maybe an epilogue then I will post the alternate ending. Thanks for all the reviews. 10 more please. Thanks!


	31. Fixing Jack

A Sandy Winter

Chapter 30: Fixing Jack

"We are all here, Manny," North said. "Now tell us how we can best help Jack."

"You can't," the Moon replied, his voice soft and gentle yet hypnotizing.

"What do you mean we bloody can't?" Bunny demanded, grabbing a boomerang as if he intended to throw it at the Moon.

"There must be something you can do," Tooth pleaded.

'Anything,' Sandy begged. 'Just save my son.'

The Man in the Moon let out a long sigh. "There is only one thing that might work. Return Jack to the lake where he was born and I will let you know from there."

"Sounds good," North said eagerly then turned but Sandy was already heading back towards the infirmary. "Prepare sleigh," he ordered the yetis then headed that way along with the others. By the time they reached the sleigh Sandy had already beaten them there, a limp Jack in his arms as he waited impatiently.

'Hurry,' he looked annoyed.

"We hurry, we hurry," North said and climbed in as did the others. He cracked the reins and the reindeer took off. After clearing the runway he threw a snow globe and said, 'I say Burgess Lake' then they flew through the portal.

* * *

Once there Sandy wasted no time before jumping out and tenderly laying Jack on the ice before stepping back.

"We're here, Manny," North said. "Now tell us what to do."

"I cannot just heal Jack; this is a delicate task that requires much magic," Manny began.

"Oh, Crikey," Bunny groaned as he slapped himself in the face with a paw. "And come the wands. Ow!" This time it was Tooth who slugged him in the arm and shot him a very cross look.

"In order for magic to work I require belief. But Jack has no believers."

'No thanks to you,' Sandy practically snarled.

"So instead I must take the belief from you or rather the memories you hold of Jack," Manny continued.

"You want us to give up our memories of Jack?" North gasped.

"That's awful," Tooth whispered, tears already rolling down her rosy cheeks.

"No way!" Bunny declared.

'Yes,' Sandy said simply.

"Sandy, how could you?" Tooth demanded.

'Jack is my son; I do whatever is necessary to save his life. You may take my memories, Manny, but I want nothing to do with you once this is all over.'

"Agreed," Manny said.

Tooth let out a trembling sigh and said, "You can have my memories too."

"As well as mine," North agreed.

Bunny sighed heavily. "You can take mine too but this is a new low, Manny. Not even Pitch Black would sink this low!"

Manny declined answering as he instructed them to hold hands. After they had done so he shone his moonbeams down on them, the pale blue light surrounding both them and Jack. He pulled the images from their heads, allowing them to fill the air before settling down around Jack. Snow and ice mixed with the memories, giving them a strange unworldly, ethereal beauty even as they poured into Jack, causing his entire body to glow while the ice, strangely enough, grew overtop him. A few of the memories still floated in the air and Manny used those to transport the Guardians and the sleigh back to the North Pole. More and more images began to form as the world began to turn backwards. Time began to fly and no one was aware of what was happening. And in the midst of it all, Jack Frost lay on his lake, completely unaware of the fact that the Man in the Moon had just turned back time itself. He was unaware of the fact that the Guardians had just given up their memories of him so that he could live. He didn't know that Sandy, sitting in North's castle drinking cocoa, felt strangely saddened although he didn't know why. He didn't feel anything as his body sank beneath the ice once more before it hardened over. He didn't know that there were tears streaming down his face before his breathing slowed and completely stopped.

But he did notice when his eyes opened and he saw the light of the Moon shining through the ice onto him. He noticed when he seemingly flew through the ice as it broke then reformed when his bare toes touched it. He listened as the Moon told him that his name was Jack Frost and then he cried when he remembered.

* * *

A/N: Yes I know. I need to run and hide while you guys are too busy sobbing into your handkerchiefs. Hope you liked. One more chapter and then I'll post the alternate ending. I promise. Thanks for all the reviews. 10 more please!


	32. Epilogue: Deja Vu

A Sandy Winter

Epilogue: Deja Vu

It was cold. It was always cold. Jack ignored the snow and rough branches beneath his feet as he walked from tree to tree, trusting the wind to carry him to each new branch. It had been almost fifty years since he had 're-awoken' and it was almost time for Sandy to come and find him. When Sandy _had_ come and found him, he mentally corrected. He highly doubted that events would play out the way they had before. Granted he had done pretty much the same things but still. The mere thought was enough to make him cry, tears already rolling down his cheeks. Just then swirls of golden dream sand swam by and he froze mid-step. It was happening just the way he remembered it…he quickly hopped down from the tree and positioned himself in the middle of the lake the same way he had been that fateful night. Mere seconds later Sandy himself arrived and their conversation played out the way it had, the evening ending with Jack obediently following Sandy back to his ship. Maybe…things could work out. He could relive his life and not rush off in a huff! Yeah. He would avoid getting upset and wouldn't run into Pitch. Yeah. It could work out. It had too. The Moon wouldn't be cruel enough to do this to him twice. Would it?

* * *

A/N: Yeah Jack's reliving his entire life which does include running into Pitch. Basically he's going to keep doing this over and over. Even if he doesn't run off in a huff like he did he'll still run into Pitch eventually…

A/N/N: Posting alternate ending now! Hopefully you'll be so happy once you finish it that you'll forget about killing me! Hopefully that is. Sorry it's so short but…alternate ending people! Would prefer at least 750 reviews but will be happy with 700. Thank you guys so much for reading this story and keep your eyes peeled for a sequel! A sequel in which the Moon finally makes it all right…Thank you so much and it has been a pleasure hearing from you! Please keep reading my stories and reviewing and I'll keep trying to improve! Thanks!  
Sincerely,

Gage39


End file.
